Evolution of Diagnostic Methods for Infectious and Non-Infectious Uveitis. Review

Abstract

Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea (iris, ciliary body, choroid) that can spread to the retina, vitreous and other structures of the eye. Non-infectious uveitis accounts for 31.5 to 82.9 % of cases. The prevalence of infectious uveitis ranges from 13.0 to 54.7 %. Verification of the etiological diagnosis of uveitis requires an individual approach in each clinical case and is based on a thorough analysis of the patient’s medical history, the presence of systemic diseases, and physical examination data, which is supplemented by various laboratory and instrumental examination. However, despite the widespread development of modern diagnostic capabilities, the etiology of uveitis remains unknown in 30–50 % of cases after non-invasive studies, and the treatment is prescribed empirically. At the present stage of studying this issue, the search for a pathological agent, that can play both an etiological role in the development of infectious uveitis and a trigger role in the non-infectious process, is still an urgent task. The article presents a review of the literature on the evolution of methods for the diagnosis of infectious and non-infectious uveitis in accordance with changing ideas about the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease, epidemiological, geographical and socio-economic factors, improving surgical techniques. Pathogenetic aspects and the role of infections in the development of non-infectious uveitis are discussed.