Recently, I received an injection in my eye for pars planitis. I have blood vessels broken on the whole side of my eye. I also have pain that eye too. I'm very concerned, but my doctor said I shouldn't worry unless I start having problems with my vision. What do you think?

Andrea

Pars planitis is an uncommon inflammatory condition of the eye that usually has no detectable cause. Some rare causes of this condition include multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease or syphilis. Pars planitis affects both eyes in 80 percent of cases.

Patients with this condition may seek an ophthalmologic exam due to "floaters" or blurry vision. This is one of the rare inflammatory conditions in which the eye is not red or painful. An examination by an eye doctor will reveal inflammation in the vitreous gel, which is the fluid that fills the back part of the eye. This inflammation can lead to the development of cataracts and/or swelling of the central retina, both of which cause blurring of vision.

If a medical workup reveals a cause of the inflammation, the eye will usually respond to the specific treatment of that condition. However, since most cases of pars planitis do not have a detectable cause, the most common method of treating this condition is injection of corticosteroids into the white part of the eye. Corticosteroid eyedrops have not been found to be successful. If corticosteroid injections can not control the inflammation, then other immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclosporin, azathioprine, methotrexate and cyclophosphamide can be used (although careful monitoring of their effectiveness and potential side effects is crucial).

It is not unusual for a blood vessel to break when a medication is injected into the eye. However, your doctor is right that the pooling of blood in the white part of the eye is generally nothing to worry about. So, I agree with your doctor's instructions to remain on guard for signs of more serious complications of pars planitis, such as blurring of vision.