Iritis Glossary of Terms

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Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Adjacent: Lying nearby. Related terms include superjacent, subjacent, and circumjacent. Fr...

Ankylosing: Having a tendency to stiffen and fuse together.

Ankylosing spondylitis: A form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joi...

Anterior: The front, as opposed to the posterior. The anterior surface of the heart is tow...

Aqueous humor: In medicine, humor refers to a fluid (or semifluid) substance. Thus, the aq...

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Blurred vision: Lack of sharpness of vision with, as a result, the inability to see fine d...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Ciliary body: Part of the eye, the ciliary body is a circular structure just behind the ir...

Cortisone: A naturally occurring adrenocorticoid hormone that is produced in minute amount...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dilate: To stretch or enlarge. Also known as dilatate.

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Flare: 1. an exacerbation of a chronic disease. Sometimes referred to as a flare-up, a fla...

Glaucoma: A common eye condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eyes rises becaus...

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Herpes: A family of viruses. Herpes also refers to infection with one of the human herpesv...

Herpes zoster: Also called shingles, zona, and zoster. The culprit is the varicella-zoster...

Humor: In medicine, a fluid or semifluid substance. For example, the aqueous humor is the ...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Inflammatory bowel disease: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by infla...

Iris: The circular, colored curtain of the eye. The opening of the iris forms the pupil. T...

Iritis: Inflammation of the iris. The iris is the circular, colored curtain in the front o...

Juvenile: Between infantile and adult. Used in medicine to indicate onset in childhood, as...

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: See: Arthritis, systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid.

Lens: The transparent structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.

Lyme disease: An inflammatory disease that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

Muscular: Having to do with the muscles. Also, endowed with above average muscle developme...

Ophthalmologist: A physician who practices ophthalmology.

Ophthalmology: The art and science of eye ?medicine.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Posterior: The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Psoriasis: A reddish, scaly rash often located over the surfaces of the elbows, knees, sca...

Pupil: The opening of the iris. The pupil may appear to open (dilate) and close (constrict...

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Reiter syndrome: A chronic form of inflammatory arthritis wherein the following three cond...

Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of joint...

Sarcoidosis: A disease of unknown origin that causes small lumps (granulomas) due to chron...

Spasm: A brief, automatic jerking movement. A muscle spasm can be quite painful, with the ...

Spondylitis: Inflammation of one or more of the vertebrae of the spine. Diffuse inflammati...

Steroid: One of a large group of chemical substances classified by a specific carbon struc...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Syphilis: A sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a microscopic orga...

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

Tear: A drop of the salty secretion of the lacrimal glands which serves to moisten the con...

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Tuberculosis: A highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium called Mycobacterium ...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Uveitis: Inflammation of the uvea. Uveitis is a serious form of eye inflammation and requi...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Viruses: Small living particles that can infect cells and change how the cells function. I...