Autoimmunity in uveitis and other chorioretinal diseases

Uveitis is an inflammation of the vascular layer of the eye, which includes the iris, ciliary body and choroid. However, in practice the term uveitis is usually used as a collective term for any form of intraocular inflammation. Uveitis is a major cause of visual impairment or even blindness. The pathogenesis of uveitis is not fully clarified, but a crucial role of autoimmune reactions has been suggested. Although humoral autoimmune reactions directed against retinal tissue are thought to play an important role in either initiation or modification of diverse chorioretinal disorders including uveitis, they were not as yet systematically measured and their possible clinical impact in retinal diseases was not examined. Understanding of autoimmune processes in ocular diseases might help to further elucidate their pathogeneses and may have consequences for the design of new diagnostic and treatment modalities. In order to improve the understanding of autoimmune processes in ocular diseases this thesis aims to assess the presence of humoral autoimmunity in uveitis and other chorioretinal diseases, including autoimmune retinopathy, and to gain insight in its role.

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