The ophthalmologist will use instruments to examine the inside of the eye and can usually make the diagnosis on that basis. Since uveitis can be associated with disease elsewhere in the body, he will require a thorough understanding of your overall health. This may involve consultation with other medical specialists. He may also request blood tests, X-rays, and other specialized tests to establish a cause of the uveitis. Your ophthalmologist will arrange to see you again to assess the progress of the treatment and will, according to the degree of inflammation, decrease or increase the treatment.
Steroids taken by mouth have side-effects.
However steroid eye drops are absorbed principally by the eye and do not cause the same side-effects as oral steroids. In a small proportion of people steroid eye drops cause the pressure in the eye to rise above normal. Your ophthalmologist will measure the pressure in the eye to discover if you are one of these people and will treat you accordingly. These complications may themselves need treatment. If complications are advanced, conventional or laser surgery may be required.