Seeing a Difference? 5 Signs Your UC is Affecting Your Vision

About 10 percent of Americans with some form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may also end up developing problems with impacted vision. This is important to monitor, as the anti-inflammatory medications used to treat ulcerative colitis (UC), such as corticosteroids, may cause the patient to develop glaucoma and cataracts if used long-term. Although Black Americans have a lower rate of diagnosis for IBD-related illnesses, they are less likely to have access to medical care.  Lack of access to adequate care for UC that remains untreated may also lead to more serious vision problems. Sometimes a patient does not know they have UC unless their eye doctor notices something irregular during an eye exam, such as redness of the eye, or small white spots on the cornea. Episcleritis Episcleritis is a redness and swelling of the connective tissue that covers the white part of the eye known as the sclera. There may also be inflammation of the episclera, the connective tissue between the sclera and the conjunctiva, the mucous membrane covering the front of the eye. Episcleritis often resolves on its own in a few weeks, but in the meantime, your doctor may prescribe corticosteroid eye drops, artificial tear eye drops,...