Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOverviewSymptomsTypesCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Overview
Symptoms
Types
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Scleritis is a rare inflammation of thesclera, the white outer covering of the eye, which is made of collagen. Blood vessels travel through and on top of the sclera and can be involved in scleritis.
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The main cause of scleritis is usually an autoimmune disorder, but sometimes the cause is unknown.If left untreated, scleritis can be sight-threatening, meaning it can cause vision loss. Scleritis is considered serious and may require emergency care.
This article provides an overview of scleritis and discusses symptoms, types, and causes of scleritis. It talks about how scleritis is diagnosed, which treatments are available, and what you can do to prevent scleritis.
What Is Scleritis?
Scleritis is inflammation of the sclera, either at the front or the back of the eye. It can be destructive to theeye, causing intense pain and loss of vision for some people. Although scleritis may be associated with trauma or infection, about half of scleritis cases are associated with an underlying systemic disease.
Scleritis is thought to be a sign of inflammation that may be present elsewhere in the body. It usually affects middle-aged people, and women are more affected than men.
This condition is serious and may require emergency care. Usually anophthalmologistwill be the one treating the condition.
Symptoms of Scleritis
Scleritis usually develops in one eye but may affect both eyes together. The main symptoms of scleritis are pain and redness in the white part of the eye that sometimes becomes severe.
Scleritis may appear with these symptoms:
Some people with scleritis also have pain of the jaw, face, or head on the same side as the affected eye. Partial or complete loss of vision may occur.
Common Causes of Vision Loss
Types of Scleritis
There are two main types of scleritis—anterior (the front) and posterior (the back)—depending on what part of the eye is affected.
Anterior Scleritis
Anterior scleritis is more common than posterior scleritis.
It can be further divided into the following three types:
Posterior Scleritis
Posterior scleritis is the rarest form of scleritis. It can be a much more severe form of the disease and is sometimes difficult to diagnose. Since this form occurs in the back of the eye, the eye may still look white.
This type may make the eye more susceptible toretinal detachmentand angle-closureglaucoma.
What Are the Main Causes of Scleritis?
Many causes of scleritis areidiopathic(occurring for an unknown reason). Scleritis seems to be most often associated with these conditions:
Other causes of scleritis include trauma (injury) to the eye and, rarely, a fungus or parasite.
Scleritis Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider may use certain eye drops to help distinguish between scleritis andepiscleritis, a condition that may also be associated with autoimmune disorders but involves the tissue and vessels in the tissue between the sclera and the conjunctiva.
Treatment for Scleritis
If left untreated, scleritis can lead to significant loss of vision. Scleritis is usually treated with oral anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen or prescription-strengthnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Oral steroids are often prescribed, as well as a direct injection of steroids into the tissue itself. Immunosuppressive drugs are sometimes used.
Scleritis does not usually respond well to topical eye drop medication, however, so some healthcare providers prescribe topical steroids and NSAIDs.Note, however, that application of topical corticosteroids may make necrotizing scleritis worse.
Treatment of associated problems with scleritis, such as glaucoma, may also be required. Because many cases of scleritis are associated with an underlying systemic disease, treatment is centered around treating that disease to stop the progression of scleritis.
Prevention of Scleritis
Because scleritis is a condition that usually develops due to an underlying inflammation in the eye, most healthy individuals do not have to worry about developing scleritis. However, if you have an autoimmune disorder, healthcare providers recommend you try the following to avoid scleritis:
Summary
Scleritis is a rare inflammation of the white part of the eye (sclera). Its symptoms include pain and tenderness. There are two general types of scleritis. Anterior scleritis affects the front part of the eye, while posterior scleritis affects the back.
The cause of scleritis is usually an autoimmune disease or is unknown. Without treatment, scleritis can cause loss of vision. Talk to a healthcare provider or eye specialist if you are experiencing pain in your eye or changes in vision to get the the proper treatment for your condition.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Scleritis causes and symptoms.The College of Optometrists.Clinical management guidelines: scleritis.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is scleritis?Chen YW, Poon YC, Yu HJ, Kuo MT, Fan PC.Experience of scleritis and episcleritis at a tertiary center in Southern Taiwan.Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2015;5(1):19-22. doi:10.1016/j.tjo.2014.10.004Valenzuela FA, Perez VL.Scleritis—infectious versus inflammatory.US Ophthalmic Review. 2016;09(02):92. doi:10.17925/usor.2016.09.02.92Sobrin L.Shedding (sun)light on risk factors for noninfectious uveitis.Ophthalmology. 2020;127(2):238-239. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.09.011Additional ReadingMurthy SI, Sabhapandit S, Balamurugan S. et al.Scleritis: differentiating infectious from non-infectious entities.Indian J Ophthalmol. 2020;68(9):1818-1828. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_2032_20
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Scleritis causes and symptoms.The College of Optometrists.Clinical management guidelines: scleritis.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is scleritis?Chen YW, Poon YC, Yu HJ, Kuo MT, Fan PC.Experience of scleritis and episcleritis at a tertiary center in Southern Taiwan.Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2015;5(1):19-22. doi:10.1016/j.tjo.2014.10.004Valenzuela FA, Perez VL.Scleritis—infectious versus inflammatory.US Ophthalmic Review. 2016;09(02):92. doi:10.17925/usor.2016.09.02.92Sobrin L.Shedding (sun)light on risk factors for noninfectious uveitis.Ophthalmology. 2020;127(2):238-239. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.09.011Additional ReadingMurthy SI, Sabhapandit S, Balamurugan S. et al.Scleritis: differentiating infectious from non-infectious entities.Indian J Ophthalmol. 2020;68(9):1818-1828. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_2032_20
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Scleritis causes and symptoms.The College of Optometrists.Clinical management guidelines: scleritis.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is scleritis?Chen YW, Poon YC, Yu HJ, Kuo MT, Fan PC.Experience of scleritis and episcleritis at a tertiary center in Southern Taiwan.Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2015;5(1):19-22. doi:10.1016/j.tjo.2014.10.004Valenzuela FA, Perez VL.Scleritis—infectious versus inflammatory.US Ophthalmic Review. 2016;09(02):92. doi:10.17925/usor.2016.09.02.92Sobrin L.Shedding (sun)light on risk factors for noninfectious uveitis.Ophthalmology. 2020;127(2):238-239. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.09.011
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Scleritis causes and symptoms.
The College of Optometrists.Clinical management guidelines: scleritis.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is scleritis?
Chen YW, Poon YC, Yu HJ, Kuo MT, Fan PC.Experience of scleritis and episcleritis at a tertiary center in Southern Taiwan.Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2015;5(1):19-22. doi:10.1016/j.tjo.2014.10.004
Valenzuela FA, Perez VL.Scleritis—infectious versus inflammatory.US Ophthalmic Review. 2016;09(02):92. doi:10.17925/usor.2016.09.02.92
Sobrin L.Shedding (sun)light on risk factors for noninfectious uveitis.Ophthalmology. 2020;127(2):238-239. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.09.011
Murthy SI, Sabhapandit S, Balamurugan S. et al.Scleritis: differentiating infectious from non-infectious entities.Indian J Ophthalmol. 2020;68(9):1818-1828. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_2032_20
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