Rheumatic diseases
The term rheumatic diseases refers to more than a hundred diseases. These involve especially the joints, muscles, nerves and sites near the joints (locomotor system) and lead to degeneration and painful inflammation and dysfunction.
Special inflammations in the skin and vessels are also in the group of rheumatic diseases. Genetic predisposition and autoimmune processes have a great importance in rheumatic diseases. The body produces antibodies against its own tissue, which cause inflammation.
These antibodies do not only react against the locomotor system but also against eye structures. Therefore, opthalmological examination should also be performed in rheumatic diseases. The most common reactions of the eye include acute or chronic inflammation of the iris (iritis, the picture above), inflammation of the retina and vascular tissue (chorioretinitis), scleritis, inflammation of the cornea (keratitis) and dry eye syndrome.
Degenerative diseases (for example, joint arthrosis) do not involve the eyes. There are important differences between an actual rhumatic disease and joint arthrosis.
Different conditions may occur in the eye depending on the site of the eye that is involved in addition to pain, swelling and limitation of function in the locomotor system related with inflammation. There may be no symptoms (for example, retinitis and vasculitis at the edges of the eye). However, advanced vision disorders and pain may also be present. In addition to blood tests, the sclera, cornea and iris should be checked in terms of inflammation. The opthalmologist also examines the retina and corpus vitreum in terms of inflammation.