What is Uveitic Glaucoma?  What is the treatment for Uveitic Glaucoma?

Uveitic glaucoma encompasses many conditions that cause eye inflammation that results in the elevation of eye pressure (intraocular pressure.)  A uveitis is a sterile inflammatory reaction inside the eye.  This can cause changes that will often lead to elevated intraocular pressure.  These include the formation of synechiae (iris will glue to the lens or cornea) and/or neovascularization (eye’s angle can close with the development of new blood vessels.)  Treatment consists of treating the underlining inflammatory condition.  Often when the inflammatory condition resolves one’s eye pressure will normalize.  Antiglaucoma medication can be used to help decrease the eye pressure.  If the condition worsens or is recurrent surgical glaucoma procedures are often required to lower the eye pressure.

Some conditions associated with uveitic glaucoma are:

     Sarcoidosis

     Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

     Glaucomatocyclitic crisis

     Behcet’s Syndrome

     Herpetic eye disease

     Syphilitic eye disease

     VKH syndrome (Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada)

     Pars Planitis

     Toxoplasmosis

     HLA -B27 conditions

Treatment

     Treat underlining inflammatory condition

     Topical and/or oral steriods

     Anti glaucoma medications

     Surgical glaucoma procedures