Expert Care for Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation at WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine is home to doctors who focus on the diagnosis and treatment of uveitis and related conditions. WashU Medicine is the only place in the St. Louis area that has doctors who have undergone advanced training to treat ocular inflammation. Our physicians utilize cutting-edge diagnostic technology and provide optimized uveitis treatments, ensuring every patient receives compassionate, expert care from our dedicated team.
What is Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation?
Uveitis is inflammation inside the eye, specifically affecting the middle layer called the uvea. The uvea consists of:
- Iris: The colored part of the eye.
- Choroid: The layer with blood vessels between the retina and the sclera.
- Ciliary Body: Connects the iris and choroid and helps the eye focus.
While ocular inflammation is most commonly found in the uvea, inflammation in the eye isn’t limited to just the uvea. Our uveitis specialists also diagnose and treat related conditions, including:
- Scleritis: Inflammation of the sclera (the white part of the eye).
- Orbital Inflammation: Inflammation in the tissues behind the eye.
- Some types of keratitis: Inflammation affecting the cornea (the clear front part of the eye).
- Some types of conjunctivitis: Inflammation affecting the conjunctiva (the clear covering over the white part of the eye and inside the eyelids).
Common Symptoms
- Redness in the white part of the eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred vision
- Floaters (spots drifting in your vision)
- Flashes of light seen in the dark
- An irregularly shaped pupil
While these symptoms are common in uveitis, other eye conditions can cause similar issues. A thorough eye exam by an eye doctor is the only way to know if you have uveitis or another inflammatory condition, or if your existing condition is active.
Associated Systemic Conditions
Ocular inflammation can occur by itself, affecting only the eye. However, it can also be linked to inflammatory or autoimmune diseases that affect other parts of the body, such as:
- Sarcoidosis
- Lupus
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Psoriasis
- Inflammatory bowel disease (like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
- Behcet’s disease
- Susac’s syndrome
Diagnosis Challenges & Our Expertise
Diagnosing uveitis and other ocular inflammatory diseases accurately can be challenging, sometimes even for general eye doctors. Standard eye treatments for more common conditions may not relieve symptoms caused by underlying inflammation. If your symptoms persist or are severe, seeing a doctor who specializes in uveitis is crucial.
Our Treatment Approach
The Washington University uveitis specialists understand the complexities of these conditions. We work as a multidisciplinary team, collaborating with other specialists as needed, to create a personalized treatment plan focused on controlling inflammation, relieving your symptoms, and protecting your long-term vision.
For general information about uveitis, visit the National Eye Institute website (part of the National Institutes of Health) or the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
For appointments call:
Uveitis Specialists
Todd Margolis, MD, PhD
Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor and Chairman, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Email: margolist@wustl.edu
P. Kumar Rao, MD, MBA
Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs
- Retina, Uveitis, Ocular Oncology
James Walsh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Email: walsh.j@wustl.edu
Advancing Care Through Research
In addition to providing expert clinical care, many of our providers at WashU Medicine are leaders in research to improve the understanding and treatment of ocular inflammatory diseases. Our research efforts span from detailed basic science studies exploring how the eye’s immune system works, to large clinical trials testing innovative new therapies. This commitment to research helps ensure our patients benefit from the latest knowledge and newest breakthroughs.
For more information on some of the groundbreaking research happening at WashU Medicine, please visit:
CLARITY Trial
About WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,900 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 56% in the last seven years. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing at 130 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a storied history in MD/PhD training, recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.