11.4.1 Uvea

Question 1

What does the uveal consist of?

Answer 1

• iris {anterior}
• ciliary body (pars plicata, pars plana) {intermediate}
• choroid {posterior}

Question 2

What is the uvea?

Answer 2

• Middle vascular layer of eye
  Prone to:
• Inflammation
• Tumours – Primary and Secondary

Question 3

Inflammation of uvea

Answer 3

Anterior or Intermediate
- Differential diagnosis of painful red eye with decreased VA
- present with acute red eye

Posterior
- Differential diagnosis of painless white eye with decreased VA
- present with loss of vision

Question 4

Symptoms & signs of anterior or intermediate uveal inflammation

Answer 4

Symptoms
- Decreased VA
- Redness
- Deep-seated pain
- Photophobia – increased pain with light exposure
- Tearing

Signs
- Decreased VA – Mild to moderate
- Redness – Ciliary (Circum-corneal)
- Cellular and protein exudate in anterior chamber
➡️Requires slit-lamp to see, but effects visible

Question 5

Signs of posterior uveitis

Answer 5

• Decreased VA
• Hazy fundal view
• Inflammatory foci

Question 6

Uveal tumours (primary) and how to distinguish between the two

Answer 6

• benign (naevus)
• malignant melanoma

Distinction:
- Size – Not particularly useful
- Growth (most important, when gets fast bigger = malignant)
- Elevation
- Symptoms