ABSTRACT
As reiterated a number of times in this handbook, ocular inflammation,
particularly sight-threatening uveitis, strikes a feeling of defeat in many
ophthalmologists, and they gladly search around for a “uveitis specialist” who
will take responsibility for the patient’s treatment and especially relieve him/her
of the risk of either misdiagnosing the condition (e.g., missing an intraocular
lymphoma) or shortening the patient’s life by administration of some toxic drug
regime. More unsettling than anything is the feeling of not truly understanding
what is going on as the patient loses vision. This chapter aims to dispel a few of
the uncertainties and to pinpoint areas where research in the future might be
directed to allow us to achieve a higher level of understanding of the condition
and developing better, more targeted therapies.
