Corneacare Logo
  • CorneaCare Logo
  • Shop
    • Shop All
    • Eyelid Hygiene
    • Eye Vitamins
    • Eye Drops
    • Eyecare Bundles
  • Education
    • Dry Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye 101
      • Causes & Diagnosis
      • Lifestyle
      • Treatment
      • Why It Matters
    • Eye Health & Wellness
    • Eye Glossary
    • Take the Quiz
  • Community
  • App
  • Take the Quiz
  • Contact us
  • Login
  • My Account
Login
Cart Icon 0
Take the Quiz
  • Shop
  • Education
  • Our App
  • Take the Quiz
  • Shop
  • Education
  • Our App
  • Take the Quiz

A-Z Glossary

Table of Contents

Choroiditis

Jovi Boparai MD Profile Picture
Written byJovi Boparai, MD
Jovi Boparai MD Profile Picture
Jovi Boparai, MDCo-founder & CEO of CorneaCarePhiladelphia, PA

Bio

Dry eye disease is tough! I get it. I have struggled with dry eyes for several years from contact lens use, and from spending countless hours looking at computer screens. In college, my dry eyes got so bad that I couldn’t wear contact lenses, because of a constant “foreign body sensation” when I had them in. I had to stop reading every 30 minutes because my eyes would start to burn and my vision would get blurry. I tried a plethora of treatments and nothing seemed to work. Dry eye disease was not only impacting my eyes, but also my emotional wellbeing. It was preventing me from enjoying life, and getting in the way of my professional training. I felt overwhelmed, frustrated and hopeless.

It was only when I realized that my dry eyes were linked to my lifestyle, environment and overall health did things start to make sense. I noticed that on days when I spent less time on the computer, my eyes felt better. My symptoms would flare when it was windy, or when there was low humidity. I knew that if I wanted to get ahead of my dry eyes, I needed to not only treat my eyes, but to also address my lifestyle. I started a consistent regimen of artificial tears and eyelid hygiene. I switched from monthly contact lenses to daily contact lenses. I started taking scheduled breaks from looking at a computer. I ate a healthier diet focused on anti-inflammatory/antioxidants foods, and I bought a humidifier for my room. In the beginning doing all this seemed impossible, but over time it became part of my usual routine. Not only did my eyes feel better, but I was overall healthier and happier! Turns out what is good for my eyes, was also good for my mind and body. I carried this lesson with me as I started my career to become an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon.

Because of my personal journey and professional training, I believe dry eye treatment starts by listening to and empowering the patient. I listen for the struggles and cue in on their strengths, while picking up on their lifestyle. Only then do we together start building a treatment plan that incorporates good eye hygiene with small, but impactful lifestyle changes. Our sight is our most important sense, and it is intimately linked to our very being. I want dry eye patients to not only get their dry eyes under control, but to also enjoy good mental and physical health, and live a fulfilling life. What is good for the eyes should also strengthen the mind and fortify the body!

Get to know me a little better!

Hobby: vintage watches
Food: peanut butter
Superhero: Superman
Guilty pleasure: desserts
Secret power: has never had a headache

Training:

Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh Honors College
Medical school: Weill Cornell Medicine
Ophthalmology residency: Wills Eye Hospital.

  • Last updated November 3, 2022

What is Choroiditis?

Choroiditis is inflammation of the choroid, which is located in the back of the eye behind the retina. Choroiditis affects the choroid either entirely, known as multifocal choroiditis or in patches, called focal choroiditis, and can cause blurred vision, eye pain and redness

Key Takeaways

  • Choroiditis can present with a variety of symptoms, including vision loss, eye pain and redness.
  • Women are four times more likely affected by choroiditis than men, and the average age range of affected patients at the time of diagnosis is 35 years.
  • Treatment of choroiditis includes Inflammation control with steroid eye drops or injections, and antibiotics when needed.
You brush your teeth,
moisturize your skin,
what about your eyes?
Take the quiz

Choroiditis Anatomy

The choroid is a highly pigmented and vascular layer of the eye, located between the retina and the sclera. Since the choroid is responsible for the blood circulation to the outer parts of the retina, choroiditis can result in vision-threatening problems.

Choroiditis is a type of posterior uveitis (inflammation of the uvea – iris, choroid and ciliary body) with a geographic pattern of extending from the juxtapapillary choroidal and spreading centrifugally at times. The outer retina and the overlying retinal pigment epithelium are both affected by choroiditis.

Presentation of Choroiditis

Choroiditis is usually bilateral, affecting both eyes. However, it can occur unilaterally as well. The symptoms can be limited to one eye at the time of presentation, but the other second eye may have previously undiagnosed healed lesions from past episodes of choroiditis. Choroiditis typically afflicts women more than men, and middle-aged people with no familial or ethnic predisposition. The typical duration between one eye’s presentation and the second eye’s onset is roughly five years. Unilateral instances are more common in tuberculosis-endemic areas.

Causes of Choroiditis

Choroiditis has many causes, including infectious and non-infectious. Toxoplasma gondii is the most common, and is usually spread by eating tissue cysts found in raw or undercooked meat or by ingesting oocysts found in cat feces. Other infectious causes include: viruses (cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, and others), HIV, tuberculosis, toxocara, syphilis, bartonella and candida. Non-infectious causes include sarcoidosis and Behcets disease. In some instances, the cause remains unclear, which can make treatment difficult.

Complications of Choroiditis

The most common complication of choroiditis is cystoid macular edema, optic atrophy, cataract, glaucoma, other macular edema, posterior synechiae and pigmentary retinopathy. Birdshot retinochoroiditis, sarcoidosis, and other uveitis that produce significant vitreous inflammation are all known to cause macular edema. 

Choroidal neovascularization is more common when choroidal involvement occurs and the Bruch’s membrane is disrupted. Presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, multifocal choroiditis and panuveitis, serpiginous choroiditis, and punctate inner choroidopathy are some of the causes of choroidal neovascularization.

Congenital toxoplasmosis is a feared complication when a typically asymptomatic mother can pass the disease to the fetus. The typical trio of congenital toxoplasmosis includes choroiditis, cerebral calcifications, and hydrocephalus. Congenital cytomegalovirus is one of the most common viral infections passed from mother to fetus, and can cause chorioretinitis, cataract, and optic atrophy. Other systemic complications include jaundice, cirrhosis, loss of heating and calcifications in the brain.

Treatment of Choroiditis

The following medications can be used to treat choroiditis:

  • Inflammation can be controlled with topical, oral or injectable steroids
  • Topical, injections or oral antibiotics when infection is suspected
  • Dilating drops to prevent the iris from scarring onto the lens

Bibliography

  1. “Diagnosis and Management of Serpiginous Choroiditis.” American Academy of Ophthalmology, 26 May 2020, www.aao.org/eyenet/article/diagnosis-of-serpiginous-choroiditis.
  2. Krill AE, Chishti MI, Klien BA, Newell FW, Potts AM. Multifocal inner choroiditis. Trans Am Acad Ophthalmol Otolaryngol 1969;73:222 245.
  3. Krill  AE,  Archer  D.  Choroidal  neovascularization in multifocal (presumed histoplasmin) choroiditis. Arch Ophthalmol 1970;84:595 604
  4. McAuley, James B., et al. “TOXOPLASMOSIS.” Feigin and Cherry’s Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 2009, pp. 2954–71. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-4160-4044-6.50240-5.

Related Terms

Loading...

Benign Essential Blepharospasm

is a type of focal cranial dystonia characterized by involuntary contractions of the orbicularis oculi muscle resulting in eye closure

YAG Capsulotomy

is a laser surgical procedure that may be performed months or years after cataract surgery

Esotropia

is an eye misalignment where one eye is turned inward. The turn may be constant or intermittent

Aniridia

is a complete or partial absence of the iris, the colored part of the eye

Intraocular Pressure

is a measure of the pressure within the eye

Foreign Body Sensation

is a feeling that something is in the eye

Related Articles

Loading...
  • Eye Health & Wellness

Thyroid Eye Disease Natural Treatment

6 min read

Thyroid eye disease natural treatment, alongside medical treatment, can make a difference in your symptoms.
Heather Cottrell

Heather Cottrell

  • Eye Health & Wellness

Foods to Reduce Eye Pressure

6 min read

High eye pressure can lead to glaucoma, a common cause of blindness in adults. Discover the foods to reduce eye pressure and keep your eyes healthy for life!
Heather Cottrell

Heather Cottrell

  • Eye Health & Wellness

Blepharitis from Eyelash Extensions: Tips & Relief

7 min read

Many people experience blepharitis from eyelash extensions. Blepharitis accounts for almost 80% of all eyelash extension complications.
Danielle Stoken

Danielle Stoken

Logo_Corneacare_White

    • Shop
    • Wholesale
    • Education
    • Community
    • App
    • Eye Glossary
    Menu
    • Shop
    • Wholesale
    • Education
    • Community
    • App
    • Eye Glossary
    • Contact
    • Terms of service
    • Privacy policy
    • Shipping & Returns
    • Contact
    • Terms of service
    • Privacy policy
    • Shipping & Returns
    • Education
    • Shop
    • Wholesale
    • Contact
    • Terms of service
    • Privacy policy
    • Shipping & Returns
    • Education
    • Shop
    • Wholesale
    • Contact
    • Terms of service
    • Privacy policy
    • Shipping & Returns
    • Education
    • Shop
    • Wholesale
    • Contact
    • Terms of service
    • Privacy policy
    • Shipping & Returns
    • Education
    • Shop
    • Wholesale
    • Contact
    • Terms of service
    • Privacy policy
    • Shipping & Returns
    Instagram Facebook_Pink Youtube Twitter Tiktok
    Copyright – © 2023 CorneaCare, Inc. ⚡️ All rights reserved
    *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease

    Wholesale inquiry

    Please fill out the form below, and we will be in touch shortly.

    20% OFF personalized, convenient and effective eyecare
    20% OFF personalized eyecare
    Take the quiz
    20% OFF personalized, convenient and effective eyecare
    20% OFF personalized eyecare
    Take the quiz
    Take the quiz