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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffBefore diagnosing iritis, your eye doctor will conduct a complete eye exam, including:
- External examination. During an external exam, your doctor may use a penlight to look at your pupils, observe the pattern of redness in your eye or eyes, and check for signs of discharge.
- Visual acuity. Your doctor will note your visual acuity using an eye chart and other standard tests.
- Slit-lamp examination. Using a special microscope with a light on it, your eye doctor views the inside of your eye looking for telltale signs of iritis, including the presence of white blood cells or hazy protein deposits (termed "flare"). To better view your eye's interior, your doctor may give you eyedrops to dilate your pupil.
- Glaucoma testing. During a glaucoma test, your eye doctor measures your intraocular pressure. Elevated intraocular pressure indicates that you may have glaucoma.
If your eye doctor suspects that a systemic condition is causing your iritis, he or she may work closely with your primary care provider to pinpoint the underlying cause. In that case, further testing may include blood tests or X-rays to identify or rule out specific causes.
- Care of the patient with anterior uveitis. St. Louis, Mo.: American Optometric Association. http://www.aoa.org/documents/CPG-7.pdf. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Cunningham ET Jr. Uveal tract. In: Riordan-Eva P, et al. Vaughan & Asbury's General Ophthalmology. 17th ed. United States: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3091280. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Forster DJ. General approach to the uveitis patient and treatment strategies. In: Yanoff M, et al. Ophthalmology. 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby, Inc.; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/116823936-3/0/1197/69.html?tocnode=50823224&fromURL=69.html. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Jacobs DS. Evaluation of the red eye. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Rosenbaum JT. Uveitis: Etiology; clinical manifestations; and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Rosenbaum JT. Uveitis: Treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
