Niemann K K, Bartlett J D, Heck L W, McCollum C J
University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB School of Optometry, USA.
J Am Optom Assoc. 1997 Dec;68(12):782-7.
Scleritis is a chronic inflammation of the scleral coat of the eye. Although the clinical manifestations of scleritis can follow a benign clinical course, the more serious forms may lead to vision loss and even enucleation of the eye.
A case is presented of a 57-year-old woman with a diagnosis of nodular scleritis and attendant ocular manifestations.
Scleritis affects females slightly more frequently than males, and is most commonly found in patients who are 40 to 60 years of age. Patients who are symptomatic in only one eye typically have bilateral involvement within 5 years. More importantly, 50% of patients with scleritis have an underlying systemic disorder, which makes a detailed medical history and complete physical examination a crucial part of the treatment regimen.
Recognizing the disease and determining the possible underlying systemic etiologies as early as possible will elucidate the appropriate treatment options and help suppress the potentially devastating effects of scleritis.
巩膜炎是一种眼部巩膜外层的慢性炎症。尽管巩膜炎的临床表现可能呈良性病程，但更严重的形式可能导致视力丧失甚至眼球摘除。
报告一例57岁女性结节性巩膜炎及相关眼部表现的病例。
巩膜炎在女性中的发病率略高于男性，最常见于40至60岁的患者。仅一只眼睛有症状的患者通常在5年内出现双侧受累。更重要的是，50%的巩膜炎患者有潜在的全身性疾病，这使得详细的病史和全面的体格检查成为治疗方案的关键部分。
尽早识别疾病并确定可能的潜在全身性病因，将有助于明确合适的治疗方案，并有助于抑制巩膜炎可能产生的毁灭性影响。
