uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area? -
hi
I was diagnosed with pars planitis in my left eye in 2005. I flew to Boston to see Dr Foster in Feb or 2006. Since that time my pars planitis has been quiet. Due to the treatment I have glaucoma in my left eye - I've had two surgeries and currently the pressure remains stable. I also developed a cataract and have had surgery for that.
In late May/early June of this year I started experiencing pain in my left eye and contacted my glaucoma doctor (as I wasn't sure if the pressure was too high). I've been informed that there is some inflammation in the left eye between the cornea and iris - and from what I've read on the website, I believe it is anterior uveitis. My glaucoma doctor is not concerned about the inflammation; however, I am.
I had a follow up appointment last week, and the vision in my left eye has gone from being able to read line 40 to only barely reading line 80 in just a month! - and I was seeing letters stacked on top of each other 2/3 times. I've been informed that there is also cloudiness in the area which holds the lens where the cataract surgery was performed. My doctor believes that a laser procedure may or may not help. I'm scheduled for the procedure on Aug 13th.
I've been on Pred Forte for years - and for the past several years I've been taking 1 drop a day. The doctors increased the dosage to 2 drops a day - but the inflammation has not changed. I also am on timolol one drop a day for the glaucoma.
I'm experiencing on and off sharp pain in my eye and it is sometimes visibly swollen.
It is during the spring and summer months that the pressure and inflammation of my eye are worse then in the cooler months. I have also gone the eastern route - and have changed my diet to more cooling foods, I regularly practice yoga and meditation.
I'd love to connect with others as I'm feeling pretty isolated right now. I have a hard time expressing what I am going through to others and the seriousness of eye diseases. I'm 30 years old and live in atlanta. anyone else in the area?
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
hi colleen,
Welcome to the group.
often the lens capsule opacifies after cataract surgery in uveitis patients and a proceedure called 'Yag Laser' is used to cut out a portion of the lens capsule so a 'pin hole' effect is created allowing light to un interuptedly reach the retina. I had this done on both eyes when mine opacified many years ago. your double vision is of concern as this isn't normal and could signify other changes inside the eye. any chance of returning to Cambridge to see Dr Foster for evaluation? was any mention of new inflammation of the pars plana made or any signs of vitritis or protein in the vitreous, flare, to indicate active inflammation of the intermediate portion of the eye? were you tested for some of the common causes of intermediate uveitis such as Multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, Behcet's disease etc?
do any autoimmune disease processes occur in your immediate family members?
I have a long history of pars planitis too. luckily mine has been quiet now for several years after repeated battles over many years starting as a teenager and I'll be sixty in a few weeks.
if it is just opafication of the lens capsule causing your problem, your vision should improve allot right away as this affects vision just like a cataract. rarely the yag laser can kick of more inflammation in some individuals. it did mine but was quickly controlled with an injection of steroids. the proceedure just takes a couple of minutes to perform without any anesthesia needed. you just hear a clicking noise and have no pain whatsoever.
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
hi mike
thanks for your reply. i had much blood work done when i was first diagnosed - and they did not find any cause of the uveitis. steriod use concerns me as it has caused glaucoma in my left eye. it also has other strange side effects on my body. what i am most concerned with right now is the inflammation that exists between the iris and cornea - and that my doctor does not think it's a big deal - as it is "minor inflammation". i'm not sure what that means. the doctor did not mention any change in the eye - he said everything looked good. when i was at the doctor's office last month, they did mentioned that i have an astigmatism in the left eye now too. what that be causing the layered vision? depending on what happens on aug 13 i may make an appointment to see dr foster again.
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
Hi Colleen,
I think you are right to be concerned about your ongoing inflammation, and I agree with Mike that it would be appropriate for you to come back to Cambridge to see Dr. Foster. Please keep us posted on how things are going. There are many wonderful people in the support group here who will understand what you are going through.
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
Astigmatism shouldn't cause double vision effect. double vision is actually a significant finding in a pars planitis patient as it can be related to systemic autoimmune disease as optic neuritis seen in MS, SLE, Sjogren's syndrome, Sarcoidosis etc. your current quiet pars plana with inflammation only in the anterior chamber is odd too which could imply systemic autoimmune disease.
antibody testing for autoimmune disease processes related to uveitis can take a decade or more to become positive. why this is the case no one knows. I know one nurse who started having odd symptoms at about 20 years old who finally got diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases 30 years later when the antibodies finally appeared in her blood. she has Sjogren's, SLE and Sarcoidosis. For many years they told her stuff was all in her 'head'. it was quite a relief for her to finally have 'proof' of her symptoms as related to disease.
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
thank you both. if i come to boston, what are the next steps? are the details about success rates? i've made an appointment with my retina specialist here in atlanta for next friday to have him look at my eye. i will make another appointment with my primary doctor to have a physical done, and possible blood work.
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
If you go to Boston, have Dr Foster suggest tests to have done in Atlanta. what he sees may indicate what tests to order.
often pars planitis that is not able to be controlled with steroid injections or oral steroids is treated with surgery, vitrectomy with endolaser of the pars plana to seal it off to prevent further exudate and cells from occuring. then if that doesn't work then chemotherapeutic immunomodulation using a combination of meds is employed.
Dr Foster might do tests to see if you have optic neuritis present that could explain the double vision. it all depends on how your eyes look once you get to see him.
your local doctors will have to work in conjunction with Dr Foster implementing any meds or tests needed and to report to him changes. you might be required to return to Cambridge from time to time if things change. I don't know what his success rate is, but I do know that he is better at this than anyone else in the World in Pars planitis patients. many doctors consult with him when they have difficult cases.
Re: uveitis - seeking support. anyone in the atlanta area?
one test is called the 'Anti NMO IgG test' which is sometimes related to optic neuritis and both Sjogren's sydnrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, conditions very rarely linked to pars planitis. it is a blood test.
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