Does Uveitis Affect Children?
Unfortunately yes. Uveitis is the third leading cause of blindness in the world with up to 10 % of cases occurring in children under the age of 16. However what is most disturbing is that uveitis blinds a higher percentage of children than adults. This is probably two fold in nature. Firstly the incidence of posterior uveitis, which is more vision threatining than anterior uveitis is higher in children than adults. In the adult population posterior uveitis accounts for 20% of all cases in children; however, it accounts for 40 % of all cases. Secondly, theses poor results are likely due to the lack of experience of the general ophthalmologist in dealing with the complexity of childhood uveitis.
What are the more common forms of pediatric Uveitis?
In infants, common causes of Uveitis include Herpes Simplex Virus, Toxocara, and Congenital Syphilis.
In toddlers and school children, common causes of Uveitis include Toxocariasis, Toxoplasmosis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome, Diffuse Unilateral Sclerosing Neuroretinitis, and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
In adolescents, common casuses of Uveitis include Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Pars Planitis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome, Toxoplasmosis, HLA-B27 associated, Sarcoidosis, and Behcet’s Disease.
