SCLERITIS

inflammation of the sclera, the white of the eye. The inflammation is of unknown cause but is thought to arise from infection, rheumatoid disease, gout, or disorders of menstruation. It occurs particularly among young women. A person who has scleritis experiences pain radiating from the eyes, which water and are sensitive to light. The condition may lead to glaucoma, to inflammation of the cornea or the uvea, or even to blindness. The treatment of scleritis is directed toward its underlying condition. In a more superficial and less chronic form of scleritis, known as episcleritis, an inflamed nodule develops near the limbus, the area where the cornea and the sclera overlap. The nodule may disappear after a few weeks and then recur at another point.