How did I get uveitis?
It is unknown why most people get uveitis. There is an association with some infections (such as toxoplasmosis) and certain diseases (sarcoidosis and Behcet’s disease) in some patients. Some patients have an increased likelihood due to the genes they carry (HLA B27 and HLA A29). But in many patients, a cause cannot be identified. Uveitis is classified as an autoimmune disease, meaning the body reacts against itself. The trigger for this is unknown, but it might be an infection in susceptible individuals. Treating for infection is unlikely to help, though, as the immune system is already activated and causes the damage.
