Following is a list of common causes of posterior uveitis. In more than one in ten cases of uveitis, however, the exact cause is unknown.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite. It affects up to one fifth of all adults in America. People may become infected from eating raw or undercooked meats, drinking unpasteurized milk, cleaning cat litter boxes, or working in gardens or playing in sandboxes that contain cat feces.
Cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMV retinitis) is a serious eye infection of the retina. It is a threat to people with weak immune systems, such as people with HIV, people undergoing chemotherapy, and people who have had organ transplants. Without treatment, CMV retinitis can destroy the retina and damage the optic nerve, resulting in blindness.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects different parts of the body, including the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys and is related to the body’s immune system.
Birdshot retinochoroidopathy may be an autoimmune disease. People with this condition may experience blurry vision, sensitivity to light, floaters, and night blindness. In most people, it affects both eyes. It causes white or yellow lesions scattered around the retina that can damage the retina and affect the vitreous.
Sarcoidosis is a kind of inflammation that can affect many parts of the body. Its cause is unknown.
Acute retinal necrosis is a condition that often causes retinal detachment and vision loss. Signs may include red eyes, eye pain and hazy/blurry vision.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a virus that infects nearly every adult. When infection with EBV occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, it often causes mono (mononucleosis).
Behcet’s disease is a rare, chronic inflammatory disease. The cause of Behcet's disease is unknown. If often begins when individuals are in their 20s or 30s, although it can happen at any age. Uveitis is very common with people suffering from Behcet’s, which can cause acute uveitis that happens soon after onset of Behcet’s disease.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease. It can be cured, but if left untreated, the late stages of the disease can cause heart problems, abnormalities, mental illness, blindness and death. Although on the decline over the past decade, it has seen more cases in recent years.
APMPPE is an eye condition that can cause temporary loss of vision related to lesions that appear in part of the retina. The lesions usually heal after a few weeks.
Serpiginous choroidopathy is related to uveitis – a rare condition that affects the part of the uvea called the choroid. It can affect the vitreous body and cause lesions on the retina that result in vision loss.
