After two miserable weeks of dealing with blurred vision and eye pain, you made an appointment with your optometrist.  In less than 5 minutes, this professional diagnosed you with uveitis.  If you're seeking relief from the uncomfortable symptoms of this condition, talk with your eye doctor about the following 3 successful treatment options.

Antibiotics

In addition to blurred vision and eye pain, uveitis can also cause:

• Sensitivity to light
• Vision loss
• Black floating dots or squiggly lines in your vision field
• Redness in eyes
• White patch in front of the bottom of your iris, the colored region of your eye

Often, the troubling symptoms of uveitis result from an underlying infection such as:

• West Nile virus
• Tuberculosis
• Herpes
• Syphilis
• Cat-scratch disease
• Toxoplasmosis

If your eye doctor determines that your uveitis symptoms stem from an infection, antibiotics will probably be prescribed.  Once the infection becomes controlled, your uveitis symptoms should begin to disappear.

Anti-Inflammatory Medications

If your eye doctor determines that an infection is not to blame for your case of uveitis, you will likely be treated with anti-inflammatory medications.  Corticosteroids such as prednisone are popular drugs used in the treatment of this condition.  This type of medication may be administered to you in the form of:

• Pills
• An injection
• Eye drops

If you do not respond to the aforementioned methods of administering corticosteroids, your optometrist may decide to insert a small device into your eye.  The device will gradually release corticosteroid medicine into your affected eye.  This type of gadget can be utilized for a period of up to 2 and a half years. 

Vitrectomy

In order to properly diagnose and treat patients for uveitis, some eye doctors perform a vitrectomy.  During this type of surgery, an ophthalmologist takes out part of the vitreous in your eye.  Vitreous is the substance that resembles jelly in your eye. 

Performing a vitrectomy reveals important clues about the causes of a person's uveitis.  This procedure also provides your optometrist with the opportunity to remove scarred vitreous tissue from your eye.  During a typical vitrectomy to treat uveitis, an eye doctor:

1. Puts tiny surgical instruments into your eye

2. Makes an incision in your vitreous

3. Suctions the jelly like substance out of your eye

4. Removes scar tissue

5. Inserts a gas bubble or silicone oil into your eye in order to gently push your retina against the wall of your eye

The entire procedure is usually completed within 2 or 3 hours.  During surgery, general anesthesia might be administered to you in order to put you to sleep.  Or, your eye doctor may simply deaden your eye with local anesthesia.  Depending on your age and general health, you might be released from the hospital on the same day as your procedure or be required to stay overnight.

Dealing with the uncomfortable symptoms of uveitis can be overwhelming.  Fortunately, many patients recover from this condition after receiving one or more of the aforementioned treatment options.  If uveitis is affecting your quality of life, talk with your trusted optometrist about the best treatment alternatives available to you.