Akademik

Uveitis
Inflammation of the uvea, the part of the eye that collectively refers to the iris, the choroid of the eye, and the ciliary body: {{}}The iris: The circular, colored curtain of the eye that surrounds the pupil. The choroid of the eye: The thin vascular middle layer of the eye that is situated between the sclera (the white of the eye) and the retina (the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light, and creates impulses that travel through the optic nerve to the brain). The ciliary body: A body of tissue that connects the iris with the choroid and includes a group of muscles which act on the lens of the eye to change its shape. Uveitis as a rule signifies inflammation involving the iris, choroid, and ciliary body — all three components of the uveal tract.
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Inflammation of the uveal tract : iris, ciliary body, and choroid. [uvea + G. -itis, inflammation]
- anterior u. inflammation involving the ciliary body and iris.
- Förster u. syphilitic inflammation, with diffuse nodules involving the choroid and retinal vasculitis.
- Fuchs u. SYN: heterochromic u..
- heterochromic u. anterior u. and depigmentation of the iris. SYN: Fuchs u..
- intermediate u. a u. that is neither anterior nor posterior but tends to involve the pars plana and the ciliary body.
- lens-induced u. SYN: phacoanaphylactic u..
- phacoanaphylactic u. intraocular inflammation occurring after extracapsular cataract extraction; probably an immune reaction to the patient's liberated lenticular proteins. SYN: lens-induced u..
- phacogenic u. u. secondary to hypermature cataract.
- posterior u. SYN: choroiditis.
- sympathetic u. a bilateral inflammation of the uveal tract caused by a perforating wound of one eye that injures the uvea.

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uve·itis .yü-vē-'īt-əs n, pl uve·it·i·des -'it-ə-.dēz inflammation of the uvea

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n.
inflammation of any part of the uveal tract of the eye, either the iris (iritis), ciliary body (cyclitis), or choroid (choroiditis). Inflammation confined to the iris and ciliary body, which are commonly inflamed together, is called anterior uveitis or iridocyclitis (see also Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis); that confined to the choroid is termed posterior uveitis. In general, the causes of anterior and posterior uveitis are different; anterior uveitis (unlike choroiditis) is usually painful, with clusters of inflammatory cells (keratic precipitates) adhering to the inner surface of the cornea. All types may lead to visual impairment, and uveitis is an important cause of blindness. In most cases the disease appears to originate in the uveal tract itself, but it may occur secondarily to disease of other parts of the eye, particularly of the cornea and sclera.
Treatment consists of the use of drugs that suppress the inflammation, combined with measures to relieve the discomfort and more specific drug treatment if a specific cause of the uveitis is found. The drugs may be given as drops, injections, or tablets, often in combination.

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uve·itis (u″ve-iґtis) [uvea + -itis] an inflammation of part or all of the uvea, commonly involving the other tunics of the eye (sclera, cornea, and retina). uveitic adj

Medical dictionary. 2011.