Q: I am 19 years old and have a history of bilateral panuveitis since 5 years. I had pain in the right eye a week back. On examination, posterior synchiae in both eyes were found. My doctor called them signs of healed lesions. Blood tests were found to be normal but the Mantoux test was positive (24 mm). I was referred to a chest physician. On investigations, the chest X-ray and spirometry were found to be normal. He said I needed ATT. Do I really need it?

A:The trouble is no one can find out the cause of panuveitis in 70-80% of cases. The fact that you had it once can recur again. Although you need all the tests to find its cause, the treatment may remain the same in addition to treating the cause, once it is found out. More over, treatment should start as early as possible to prevent complications. If you delay proper treatment (i.e. don?t waste time waiting to see the specialist no matter how busy you are and don?t depend on alternative treatment like homeopathy etc.) I have seen irreversible complications and vision loss as result.