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Kids Ask Dr. Foster

IT IS O.K. TO ASK QUESTIONS WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR

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We encourage kids to ask questions about their eyes and health when they go to see their eye doctor. Sometimes it is helpful to write down questions ahead of time on a piece of paper and take that with you to your appointment. Tell your parents and your doctor what your questions are at each visit.

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Questions about Uveitis
How is uveitis treated
Other questions

Paged updated: 02/14/2007

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QUESTIONS ABOUT UVEITIS

	What does "uveitis" stand for? What is uveitis?	Inflammation inside the eye.
	Is uveitis a bad eye disease for kids?	If by "bad" you mean is uveitis a serious health problem, the answer is yes.
	Can uveitis be treated?	Yes. We know a lot about how to help kids that have uveitis.
	What causes uveitis?	About 50 different things can cause uveitis.
	What do I tell my 6th grade friends when they ask me what uveitis is?	That it is inflammation inside the eye, like having inflammation from a burn, but inside the eye.
	Is uveitis contagious? Can other kids "catch" uveitis from me?	No.
	How can I help my sister with uveitis?	Let her talk to you about it. You don't need to "do" or "say" anything. Just listen.
	What are some of the various reasons for getting uveitis? If you have uveitis, are you considered an ill or sick person with a disease?	Yes, uveitis is an illness. Infection, trauma, and autoimmune illness are the most frequent reasons that uveitis develops in children.
	Why can't you see uveitis; is it only a eye disease, or can you develop it some other way?	Doctors can "see" your uveitis with a special microscope called a slit lamp. Click here to read more about the slit lamp.
	Are you scared that other kids might come to be blind from uveitis?	No, not scared. But, concerned, which is why I do what I do.
	Does everyone with uveitis have JRA?	No.
	Does someone with uveitis have to have eye surgery?	Sometimes, but not usually.
	Do you get scared when kids go into surgery that they will die?	Not at all!
	About how old will I be when my uveitis goes away?	I don't know.
	On average, how long will I have uveitis; will it be until I am really old?	We do not know; it is completely individual for each patient. But, it almost certainly will not last until you are really old.
	Will my uveitis change when I become a teenager (go through puberty)?	Usually not.
	Do some cases of uveitis last through adulthood?	Usually not, but some do.
	What is the longest period of time anyone has had uveitis?	I don't know.
	Is uveitis a genetic disease?	Usually not.
	Was I born with uveitis?	No.
	Since I have uveitis, will my children have uveitis?	Almost certainly not.
	Will research find a cure for uveitis?	Yes, we think so.

HOW UVEITIS IS TREATED

Is methotrexate the most common treatment for uveitis?

No, steroids are.

Will methotrexate keep uveitis from going into my other eye?

Yes

How does the methotrexate help me? Why do I have to have blood tests?

Methotrexate kills the cells of inflammation, the ones inside the eye that do damage to the eye if they are allowed to stay. Blood testing is necessary so that your methotrexate dose can be increased or decreased if necessary to accomplish this goal.

When can I stop having blood test taken?

When you are no longer taking medicine

Sometimes I get tired. Is that a side affection of my medication?

Probably.

Once my uveitis is under control, when can I expect to taper off medicine?

After two years with no uveitis.

How long do I need to get check ups?

Until you no longer have uveitis and are not on any medicine.

I often get sick just thinking about a medicine that's trying to treat my uveitis. What can I do when I get that feeling?

Talk to your mother and father about this. Since you know that this is "mental" (how you are thinking about your situation), see if you can find a way to overcome your fear, imagining, for example, the medicine killing the uveitis.

Kids Ask Dr. Foster

IT IS O.K. TO ASK QUESTIONS WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR

E-Mail the Kids Page to a Friend

QUESTIONS ABOUT UVEITIS

HOW UVEITIS IS TREATED

OTHER QUESTIONS