Intermediate uveitis (IU) is described as inflammation in the anterior vitreous, ciliary body and the peripheral retina. In the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) working group's international workshop for reporting clinical data the consensus reached was that the term IU should be used for that subset of uveitis where the vitreous is the major site of the inflammation and if there is an associated infection (for example, Lyme disease) or systemic disease (for example, sarcoidosis). The diagnostic term pars planitis should be used only for that subset of IU where there is snow bank or snowball formation occurring in the absence of an associated infection or systemic disease (that is, “idiopathic”). This article discusses the clinical features, etiology, pathogenesis, investigations and treatment of IU.
Uveitis is a well-known late complication of systemic leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the water-borne spirochete Leptospira. Although it is one of the world's most widespread febrile diseases, it remains underdiagnosed, mainly because of protean manifestations, lack of awareness, and nonavailability of laboratory support. Systematic collection of published literature was conducted using Medline, the Cochrane library, and bibliographies of retrieved reports. Articles directly applicable to ocular leptospirosis and current reports on the epidemiology, basic research, clinical presentations, and management of leptospirosis were reviewed. Changing trends in risk factors and an expanding spectrum of ocular and systemic findings have been reported. Molecular research on leptospirosis has shown remarkable progress; several rapid diagnostic modalities are currently under study. Awareness of this entity is absolutely essential to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and to prevent its potential reversible and irreversible ocular complications.
Uveitis is caused by disorders of diverse etiologies including wide spectrum of infectious and non-infectious causes. Often clinical signs are less specific and shared by different diseases. On several occasions, uveitis represents diseases that are developing elsewhere in the body and ocular signs may be the first evidence of such systemic diseases. Uveitis specialists need to have a thorough knowledge of all entities and their work up has to be systematic and complete including systemic and ocular examinations. Creating an algorithmic approach on critical steps to be taken would help the ophthalmologist in arriving at the etiological diagnosis.
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