{"id":14150,"date":"2021-06-23T10:31:30","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T10:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=14150"},"modified":"2021-07-22T09:07:21","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T09:07:21","slug":"anterior-uveitis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-blurry-vision-and-headaches\/when-is-blurred-vision-a-medical-emergency\/anterior-uveitis\/","title":{"rendered":"Anterior Uveitis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uveitis is a sight-threatening eye disease causing 30,000 new cases of legal blindness annually in the USA and accounts for 15% of all causes of total blindness<\/b>.<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are 3 types of uveitis: anterior, posterior and intermediate.<\/p>\n

Anterior uveitis is the most common, with an incidence of over 20 per 100\u2009000, followed by posterior\/panuveitis with affects up to 4 per 100\u2009000 person, and intermediate uveitis is the least common affecting less than 1 per 100\u2009000 people.<\/p>\n

What is Anterior Uveitis?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Anterior uveitis is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, the iris – the colored part of the eye and the adjacent organ, the ciliary body.<\/p>\n

This condition is often referred to as \u2018iritis\u2019 as it most frequently affects the iris.<\/p>\n

In anterior uveitis, the iris becomes inflamed and the blood vessels within the iris leak white blood cells and protein into the front part of the eye, the area behind the iris may also become inflamed.<\/p>\n

Anterior uveitis is not an infection or contagious.<\/p>\n

What causes anterior uveitis?<\/b><\/h2>\n

In most cases, the cause of anterior uveitis is unknown. For some patients, anterior uveitis can occur regularly. For others it can result from a trauma to the eye, such as being hit or having a foreign body in the eye.<\/p>\n

The following conditions have also been linked to anterior uveitis:<\/p>\n