• Alternative names
• Defination
• Causes, Incidence and Risk Factors

• Prevention
• Symptoms
• Signs & Tests
• Treatment

• Expectations
• Complications
• Calling Your health care provider

Defination

The ocular immune system is the eye's first line of defense against diseases. At the back of the eye, the agents of immunity are carried through the vascular (blood) system of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. At the front of the eye, however, immunity is carried by the transparent fluids that cover the eye: the tear film, which spreads over the eye as a continuous coating, and the conjunctiva, a thin layer of mucous covering the white of the eye.

For millions of people, however, the immune system that produces the defensive components of these fluids does not function properly. For example, the presence of the auto-immune disease Sjšgren's syndrome causes the ocular system to attack and destroy its own lacrimal or tear-producing gland, leading to a serious form of dry eye. Ocular infection by herpes viruses is the leading cause of blindness due to infection and can lead to mild or severe damage to the cornea, the clear tissue covering the pupil and iris. Ocular allergies, CMV retinitis, and a host of bacterial infections all wreak havoc on eyes with compromised immune systems. If the cornea is clouded or scarred, vision can be permanently damaged.

Treatment

Little is known about auto-immune diseases that affect the eye. Some forms of ocular infection can be treated with topical antibiotics or antiviral medication -- however, since the eye has a unique immune system, drugs have not yet been developed for all infectious diseases. Corneal transplantation may help some patients who have corneal scarring, but is not viable for all cases. Much more needs to be discovered about how immunity functions in the eye.

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