Iritis Symptoms

Symptoms indicative of iritis vary from person to person and may affect one of both eyes. Patients who show signs of the following symptoms should be checked by an Ophthalmologist without delay as iritis can progress rapidly. Should you be diagnosed iritis, it is likely that your Ophthalmologist will refer to your condition as anterior uveitis.

• Pain in the affected eye
• Photophobia (light sensitivity)
• Blurred vision
• Red eye
• Small or abnormally shaped pupil in affected eye
• Headache
• Increased weeping in affected eye

There are two categories of iritis, acute and chronic. Acute iritis usually occurs suddenly but reacts well to treatment whilst chronic iritis is more stubborn and can take many months to bring under control.

There are a few possible complications of iritis which include:

• Cataracts (lens clouding over)
• Glaucoma (high pressure within the eye)
• Macular Oedema (liquid in the retina)
• Neovascularization (growth of new blood vessels)
• Blindness (in extremely severe cases – this is rare)

Remember, it is of utmost importance that you tackle the problem as soon as symptoms appear. Many people will find that their vision is largely unaffected even when other iritis symptoms are present. Do not ignore the symptoms.