Herpes and the Eye
Herpes and the Eye C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.R. Herpes! The first thought in most people’s mind is venereal disease, sexual transmitted disease (STD). But, in fact most instances of herpes, at least those affecting the eye, are not sexually transmitted, and are not even the type of herpes that is usually associated with […]
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Uveitis: What is it and what is its effect on the eye?
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Uveitis C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.R. Uveitis is a serious complication of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Approximately 6% of all cases of uveitis occur in children, and up to 80% of all cases of anterior uveitis in childhood are associated with JIA. Although remarkable progress has been made in the […]
Keratitis
Keratitis C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S, F.A.C.R, Stephen D. Anesi, M.D., F.A.C.S What is keratitis? Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea, the clear window of the front of the eye. The cornea is an incredibly unique tissue in the body, in that it is perfectly transparent, and allows light to pass through to help us […]
Ocular Autoimmune Disease: An Introduction
Ocular Autoimmune Disease: An Introduction C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S, F.A.C.R The immune system, ordinarily in the “business” of protecting us from harm, generally protecting us from germs and cancer cells, can become deranged, disregulated, with the result being an immune attack on part of our own body. This state of affairs is termed autoimmunity, […]
Scleritis
Scleritis C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S, F.A.C.R Scleritis What is scleritis? Scleritis is inflammation of the tough, white structural wall of the eyeball, the sclera. The sclera is made of collagen and is continuous with the cornea, the clear window through which we see that makes up the front wall of the eye. Blood vessels […]
Support groups and their role in caring for patients with ocular inflammatory disease
This article describes our experience with a self-help group for patients with uveitis that was founded in 1996 by Dr. C. Stephen, Foster, Frances Foster MS, NP, CS and John Hurley LICSW. Our experience with this process, and the success of the group, confirms other reports about the important role of self-help groups for patients […]
Systemic Treatment of Ocular Inflammatory Disease (OID)
Systemic Treatment of Ocular Inflammatory Disease (OID) C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.R Most eye diseases which are treatable are treated with eye drops. In fact, the number of instances in which patients attending a general ophthalmologist’s office might be prescribed a systemic medication (i.e., one which is taken, for example, by mouth) is vanishingly […]
Chemotherapy: Risks and Outcomes
Chemotherapy: Risks and Outcomes C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.R. Inflammatory eye disease has blinded countless numbers of individuals during both ancient and modern times. And while most of such instances have occurred on the basis of infectious inflammation, not a trivial number of instances has occurred on the basis of autoimmune inflammation. A revolution […]
Cost of Care of Patients with Uveitis
Cost of Care of Patients with Uveitis C. Stephen Foster, M.D. Increasingly restrictive “gate keeping” policies of health maintenance organizations, insurance companies, and other medical insurance plans have created increasing pressure on ophthalmologists to be parsimonious in their use of medical services in both the diagnostic and therapeutic care of patients with a variety of […]
Cataract!
Cataract C. Stephen Foster, M.D. CATARACT: a scum or a film or a growth on the eye: right? Wrong! A cataract is none of these. The word cataract simply means the development of an opacity in the crystalline lens inside the eye. We all have such a lens sitting just behind the pupil. And this […]