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6. Eye care
Children and young people with JIA can develop inflammation in their eyes as well as their joints. This is called uveitis (you-vee-eye-tis). It tends to affect the child’s eyes over a long time (chronic) and mainly involves the front part of the eye. The number of children and young people with JIA who develop uveitis is 10-30%. In the early stages there are often no symptoms, however if they do occur they generally include eye pain, redness of the eye and blurred vision. If left untreated, uveitis can lead to gradual loss of vision and occasionally blindness. Therefore, it is vital that all children and young people with JIA are referred for assessment by an ophthalmologist.
Screening should start within 6 weeks of diagnosis of JIA. Children are seen regularly at differing intervals depending on their form of JIA and age. The guidelines from the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (BSPAR) and the Royal College of Ophthalmology give details of how frequently your child should be seen for screening. Visit their websites at: www.rheumatology.org.uk and
