Iridocyclitis

Iridocyclitis (EAR-uh-do-sai-KLY-tus) is painful inflammation in your eye. It’s a type of anterior uveitis.

Anterior is the medical word for front. Uveitis is any inflammation in the uvea (the middle layer of your eye). So, anterior uveitis is inflammation in the front of your uvea. The type of anterior uveitis you have depends on where the inflammation is:

• Iritis is inflammation in your iris.
• Anterior cyclitis is inflammation in the ciliary body.
• Iridocyclitis is inflammation in both the iris and ciliary body at the same time.

Lots of issues can cause iridocyclitis, but it’s usually treatable. It can affect one or both of your eyes at the same time. Visit an eye doctor if you have pain or other symptoms in your eyes for more than a few days.

Symptoms of iridocyclitis

Iridocyclitis symptoms can include:

• Eye pain
• Light sensitivity
• Red eye
• Eye irritation
• Watery eyes
• Blurry vision
• Irregularly shaped (not circular) pupils
• Smaller-than-usual or pinpoint pupils

Iridocyclitis can be acute or chronic. Acute iridocyclitis happens when symptoms start and get worse quickly. Chronic iridocyclitis usually takes weeks or months to get worse. It can also come and go in episodes of symptoms called flare-ups.

Iridocyclitis causes

Some causes of iridocyclitis include:

• Other health conditions: Autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus or Behçet’s disease can all cause iridocyclitis. Inflammatory arthritis can, too. It also happens because of some types of metastatic cancers.
• Eye injuries: Any injury that damages your eyes can irritate or hurt tissue in them and lead to iridocyclitis.
• Infections: Eye infections can cause inflammation. And viral and bacterial infections can spread to your uvea from somewhere else in your body. It’s less common, but parasitic infections can cause iridocyclitis, as well.
• Medication side effects: Some medications can cause inflammation in your eyes. This is usually very rare, though. Talk to your healthcare provider about possible side effects before starting or changing medications.

Iridocyclitis can also happen without a known or diagnosable cause. Eye doctors call this idiopathic. Idiopathic iridocyclitis is actually more common than cases with a definite cause. The tissue in your eyes is very sensitive, so sometimes small, temporary irritations cause symptoms.

Risk factors

You may be more likely to develop iridocyclitis if you have a biological family history of it. Your risk will also be higher if you have a compromised immune system.

Complications of iridocyclitis

Iridocyclitis can cause other issues if the inflammation lasts long enough to damage your eyes. Some complications can include:

• Cornea scars
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Hyphema
• Optic nerve damage
• Detached retinas
• Iris atrophy
• Strabismus
• Low vision

How doctors diagnose iridocyclitis

An eye care specialist will diagnose iridocyclitis with an eye exam and some tests. Your provider will check your vision with a visual acuity test. They’ll also look inside your eyes for signs of inflammation and damage. They might use a few other tests, including:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
• Tonometry
• Blood tests
• Eye ultrasound
• Biopsies

What are iridocyclitis treatments?

A healthcare provider will suggest ways to reduce the inflammation and treat the cause of iridocyclitis. The most common treatments include:

• Anti-inflammatory medications: Your provider will suggest prescription and/or over-the-counter medications. You might need eye drops, topical eye ointments or pills.
• Cycloplegia: This involves temporarily paralyzing muscles in your ciliary body. Your provider will use eye drops to dilate your eyes. It will stop you from feeling pain and irritation.
• Medications to treat an infection: You might need antibiotics, antivirals or antiparasitic medications to manage an infection.

Your provider may recommend additional medications or treatments. They can tell you more about treatment options and which ones are right for you.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Visit an eye doctor if you have eye pain, redness or other symptoms that last for more than a few days. Tell your provider if it feels like the symptoms are getting worse or come back (recur). This can be a sign that you have chronic iridocyclitis. Your provider may need to adjust your treatments to help you manage flare-ups.

In general, you should see an eye doctor if you have:

• Severe eye pain
• Sudden vision loss
• Symptoms of an infection, like a fever and eye discharge

What can I expect if I have iridocyclitis?

Most cases of iridocyclitis get better within a few weeks of starting treatment. If you have an acute case, you’ll probably never have symptoms again after you heal or cure the infection.

If you have chronic iridocyclitis, you might have to manage symptoms for a long time. Managing the condition that causes flare-ups may prevent them (or at least make them less frequent and severe). Your eye care specialist will tell you what to expect.