The uveitis and ocular/orbital inflammatory disease service at Casey Eye Institute offers cutting edge care for pediatric and adult ocular inflammatory diseases including for infectious and immune-mediated anterior, intermediate, and posterior or panuveitis. We specialize in the treatment of scleritis, orbital inflammation, mucous membrane pemphigoid, and all forms of infectious and non-infectious uveitis, including inflammatory disease limited to the eye and associated with systemic inflammatory and infectious diseases. We have dedicated staff and faculty specialized in the treatment and diagnosis of inflammatory eye disease utilizing cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. 

What is uveitis?

Uveitis is a group of disorders that result in inflammation to the inner layers of the eye, which may lead to ocular damage and loss of vision if not effectively treated.  

Our mission

To provide personalized care to prevent vision loss due to inflammatory ocular diseases using scientific evidence, intimate knowledge of mechanisms of disease, and a multi-disciplinary team for both children and adults with uveitic or related conditions. 

Schedule an appointment

We accept direct appointment requests or doctor referrals at 503 494-5023.
Office Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm 

Please forward patient records to:

Fax: 503-494-6875
Mail: Casey Eye Institute Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation Services
3375 SW Terwilliger Blvd, 4th floor
Portland, OR 97239 

Clinical studies

Clinical trials

Clearside: "PEACHTREE: A Phase 3, Randomized, Masked, Controlled Clinical Trial to Study the Safety and Efficacy of Triamcinolone Acetonide Injectable Suspension (CLS-TA) for the Treatment of Subjects with Macular Edema associated with Non-Infectious Uveitis"

Eyegate: "A Prospective, Multi-Center, Randomized, Double-Masked, Positive Controlled, Phase 3 Clinical Trial Designed to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Iontophoretic Dexamethasone Phosphate Ophthalmic Solution Compared to Prednisolone Acetate Ophthalmic Suspension (1%) in Patients with Non-Infectious Anterior Segment Uveitis"

FAST: "First-line Antimetabolites as Steroid-sparing Treatment (FAST) Uveitis Trial"

pSivida: "PSV-FAI-001: A Phase III, Multi-National, Multi-Center, Randomized, Masked, Controlled, Safety and Efficacy Study of a Fluocinolone Acetonide Intravitreal (FAI) Insert in Subjects with Chronic Non-Infectious Uveitis Affecting the Posterior Segment of the Eye" (closed to enrollment)

Abbvie: "A Multicenter Open-Label Study of the Long-term Safety and Efficacy of the Human Anti-TNF Monoclonal Antibody Adalimumab in Subjects with Non-infectious Intermediate-, Posterior-, or Pan-uveitis" (closed to enrollment)

Abatacept: "A phase I/II trial of Abatacept (Orencia) in the treatment of refractory non-infectious uveitis" (closed to enrollment)

Investigator-initiated studies

OCT angiography studies in uveitis: Investigating the retinal and choroidal circulation in uveitis patients

Gut microbiome studies in uveitis: Investigating the importance of the gut microbial constituents, and its impact on uveitis 

Learn more about uveitis

Uveitis is a descriptive term that refers to inflammation within the eye. The uvea includes the iris at the front of the eye, the ciliary body and the choroid toward the back of the eye. The uvea is very important because its many veins and arteries transport blood to the parts of the eye that are critical for vision. Because uveitis is serious, treatment needs to begin right away. For uveitis not caused by an infection, your ophthalmologist may prescribe eye drops containing steroids to reduce swelling and drugs to relieve pain. Antibiotics are used in patients with infectious uveitis. Dark glasses will help if your eyes are sensitive to light.

Complications of uveitis may include glaucoma, cataracts, abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eyes that interfere with vision, fluid within the retina and vision loss. Early diagnosis and treatment by your ophthalmologist is critical.

At the Uveitis clinic at OHSU Casey Eye Institute, we use the following guiding principles in providing advice to patients: 

• Everyone is different. This means that treatment is individually tailored to each patient's needs. Designing the best-tolerated and most effective therapy may require some trial and error, because each patient is unique.
• Treating inflammation is like dousing a fire. Often, relatively high doses of medication are prescribed at first as we try to reduce inflammation. However, many types of inflammation resist--the flames aren't out completely. When treatment appears to reduce or eliminate the inflammation completely, medication is usually stopped gradually to make sure the flames are indeed out.
• The least amount of medication is the best amount of medication. All medications have potential toxicity. The optimal dosage of medication is the lowest amount that controls the inflammatory process.
• Various medications have different degrees of potential risk. In general, the degree of risk that is appropriate depends on how severe the inflammation is and how much it impairs the patient's daily living.
• Choosing the right treatment is like choosing what to eat from a restaurant menu. Your doctor's responsibility is to describe the options, their advantages and their risks. The best choice of therapy is very much a matter of personal preference, based on understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
• It is not always possible to determine how successful therapy is. When you take a medication and visual acuity doesn't improve, it's possible that vision may have worsened significantly if the medication had not been taken. On the other hand, if you take a medication and your vision improves, it's conceivable that the improvement occurred on its own, without the use of the medication.
• Medications that suppress the immune system don't work immediately. In general, medications such as methotrexate, imuran, cyclosporine and cytoxan take several weeks before you see improvement. Corticosteroid medications tend to work much faster in reducing the inflammatory response.
  

Fellowship in Ocular Inflammation and Uveitis

We provide a one year fellowship in Ocular Inflammation and Uveitis for ophthalmology residency-trained physicians. Please visit the fellowship page for more information.