Rheumatoid Arthritis & Your Eyes

Eye Problems from Rheumatoid Arthritis
What does arthritis have to do with your eyes? Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease characterized by swelling and irritation. The inflammation of RA occurs when your body's defense system (immune system) attacks your own body tissues instead of foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria. Most of these attacks occur in your joints, but RA inflammation can also affect other parts of your body, including your eyes. In fact, your eyes are especially vulnerable. Some of the more common eye complications of rheumatoid arthritis include dry eyes, scleritis-an inflammation of the “white” of your eye-which is uncomfortable and even painful, iritis-an inflammation of the colored part of the eye or the iris, or uveitis, an inflammation of the middle lining inside the eye that supplies blood to other internal structures. Any of these rheumatoid arthritis complications can requirement treatment to avoid at a minimum discomfort and more seriously vision loss. So, if you have been told you have rheumatoid arthritis and experience dry eyes, redness, pain, or changes in your vision, you should make sure to see us for a diagnosis and treatment if needed.

If you or someone you know wishes to learn more about how rheumatoid arthritis can cause eye problems, please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, Google+ or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision to schedule an appointment.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine eye doctors and eye specialists.