Overview

Uveitis is inflammation of your uvea, the middle layer of your eye. It can happen for unknown reasons or because of many known conditions. It can affect a specific area of your eye or multiple areas. Depending on the areas it affects, it can be painful, cause redness and irritation, or even disrupt your eyesight. It can affect one eye or both at the same time.

There isn’t a lot of room inside your eyeball for tissue swelling to happen, so it’s easy for swelling to change your eye shape. Your eye shape is a critical part of how you see, and even tiny changes from swelling can disrupt your sight.

In severe cases, uveitis (pronounced “yoo-vee-EYE-tiss”) can cause permanent vision loss and blindness.

How common is uveitis?

Uveitis is common overall. Worldwide, there are about 4 million new cases each year. In the U.S., estimates range from 80,000 to 168,000 cases each year.

Uveitis is more common in adults, and the odds of having it go up with age. It’s less common in children, who make up only 2% to 20% of cases.

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Symptoms

When to see a doctor

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.
The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:
  • High blood pressure.
  • Diabetes.
  • Heart failure.
  • Some types of heart valve disease.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:
  • Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
  • Don't smoke or use tobacco.
  • Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
  • Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
  • Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Reduce and manage stress.


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