[Useful examinations and therapies in immunologic diseases]

Screening by immune disease is useful for one part in the various ocular inflammatory processes, uveitis, vasculitis, (epi)scleritis and myositis, for the other in collagen diseases with possible eye complications. The various forms of uveitis can be related either to rheumatic disease, to some HLA antigen, to a microbiological agent, sometimes to sarcoidosis. Retinal vasculitis remains almost always of unknown origin, while scleritis and myositis are often related to rheumatic disease, eventually to Wegener's granulomatosis. On the other side, in collagen disease (SLE, polymyositis, sclerodermia a.s.o.) the eye can participate either with fundus, scleral or orbital changes. Concerning therapy, steroids and immunosuppressive cytostatic drugs are the most useful; since most cases remain with unknown etiology, they cannot take benefit from specific therapy, except for instance the retinochoroiditis due to toxoplasmosis.