Uveitis Clarity for the Derm APP
In her session, “Uveitis and Inflammatory Eye Disease,” Jennifer Cao, MD, took attendees on an enlightening tour of the eye, from cornea to choroid, and laid out the logic behind ocular inflammation evaluation.
“This is your geography lesson,” she began, pointing to a cross-section image of the eye. “The cornea is two thirds of the focusing power; the lens is one-third. And the retina? It is the ‘film of the camera.’ Most retinal damage is irreversible.”
Dr Cao deftly broke down uveitis by anatomical location—anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis—explaining that anterior is most common in community settings, whereas posterior forms are more often seen in tertiary care. But what really caught the audience’s attention were her visual demos of anterior chamber cells, band keratopathy, and posterior synechiae. “If you’ve got someone with posterior synechiae, they most likely will end up needing some sort of immunomodulatory therapy (IMT),” she emphasized.
One of the most actionable takeaways came from her “Who Needs Referral?” checklist. Think: chronic steroid use (>3 months), posterior involvement, children, and more than 1 episode.” Three visits in 3 years during severe acute flares does not constitute uveitis care,” she stated bluntly.
She reminded attendees that uveitis is not always a symptom of something else. “Uveitis in and of itself is a diagnosis. We draw labs to rule out systemic associations, not to find a cause in most cases,” she said, adding that <10% of cases are tied to systemic disease.
When it comes to treatment? “There are 100 ways to cook a chicken… and many ways taste good,” she joked, walking through the widely accepted stepwise algorithm—starting with topical steroids for anterior disease and escalating to oral or periocular steroids as a bridge to IMT. Her key message: If it is not improving within 2 to 3 months, or if patients cannot get off steroids, it is time to refer.
With new therapeutic targets like Janus kinase inhibitors on the horizon and powerful visuals that make ocular pathology feel less like alphabet soup, this session left attendees seeing things a little more clearly—pun intended.
Reference
Cao J. Uveitis and inflammatory eye disease. Presented at: Masterclasses in Dermatology APP Institute; October 11–12, 2025; Dallas, TX.
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Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of The Dermatologist or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.
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