 UveitisAccording to the American Uveitis Society, uveitis (inflammation of the uvea) is not a single disease, but rather a collective term referring to many different conditions that can produce a similar appearing condition in the eye. Uveitis can affect any part of the uvea, including the anterior, intermediate, posterior, or the entire uvea (so called pan-uveitis.) Worldwide it is the third leading contributor to blindness, causing 5 to 20 percent of legal blindness in developed countries and 10 to 15 percent in the U.S. The prevalence of the disease in the population is estimated at 115 to 300 per 100,000 according to recent literature. Disease Treatment Issues and OpportunitiesThere are as many as 60 different causes of uveitis. Treatment options and conditions depend in part on the cause but more on the location of the disease in the eye. Uveitis is currently treated with systemic or topically administered anti-inflammatories, corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive agents, off-label intravitreal injections of corticosteroids are also carried out. While these drugs are generally very effective in treating the disease, the route of administration is often sub optimal and can require hospitalization if given systemically. As such, patient safety concerns are high, treatment success rates vary, often requiring long-term care, leaving plenty of room for reduced cost of treatment. |
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