Uveitis/OID is the Third Leading Cause of Blindness
By C. Stephen Foster, MD, FACS, FACR Did you know that Uveitis/OID is the third leading cause of blindness in developed countries? It is the third leading cause of blindness because patients are left on chronic steroid therapy, which causes vision-robbing problems of glaucoma and cataract, or they are not completely controlled by their inflammation. […]
Looking Forward to 2020: The Year of Vision a Self-Reflection
By Stephen D. Anesi, MD, FACS This time of year is always a time for reflection, but also a time to look to the future. As we enter into this new decade, starting with the year 2020, I wanted to share some of the thoughts I have had during my 10 years spent at MERSI. […]
Psoriasis and Eye Inflammation
By Peter Y. Chang, MD August is Psoriasis Awareness month. Do you know that there is an association between psoriasis and uveitis and other types of inflammatory eye diseases? Psoriasis is due to an overactive immune system resulting in an accelerated growth rate of skin cells. It is characterized by patches of red, scaly, and […]
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Associated Uveitis
by Stephen D. Anesi, MD, FACS July is juvenile arthritis awareness month, and thus I feel it is time to reconnect with those who are aware of and fight for children with the most common presentation of this disease, or educate those who are hearing about this for the first time… Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or […]
C. Stephen Foster, MD is named Boston Magazine’s 2019 Top Doctors:
Congratulations to C. Stephen Foster, MD, FACS, FACR for being listed as Boston Magazine’s 2019 Top Doctors! After 30 years on the full-time faculty of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, he established his private practice – The Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution, a state of the art practice with its chemotherapy infusion suite and […]
Cataract Surgery and Uveitis
Cataract Surgery and Uveitis C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S, F.A.C.R. Cataract develops in patients with uveitis because of the uveitis itself and also because of the steroids which is the cornerstone of treating uveitis. Cataract developing in an eye with a history of chronic or recurrent uveitis has historically been called cataracta complicata, and, indeed, […]
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Uveitis: What is it and what is its effect on the eye?
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Uveitis C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.R. Uveitis is a serious complication of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Approximately 6% of all cases of uveitis occur in children, and up to 80% of all cases of anterior uveitis in childhood are associated with JIA. Although remarkable progress has been made in the […]
Support groups and their role in caring for patients with ocular inflammatory disease
This article describes our experience with a self-help group for patients with uveitis that was founded in 1996 by Dr. C. Stephen, Foster, Frances Foster MS, NP, CS and John Hurley LICSW. Our experience with this process, and the success of the group, confirms other reports about the important role of self-help groups for patients […]
Chemotherapy: Risks and Outcomes
Chemotherapy: Risks and Outcomes C. Stephen Foster, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.R. Inflammatory eye disease has blinded countless numbers of individuals during both ancient and modern times. And while most of such instances have occurred on the basis of infectious inflammation, not a trivial number of instances has occurred on the basis of autoimmune inflammation. A revolution […]
Cost of Care of Patients with Uveitis
Cost of Care of Patients with Uveitis C. Stephen Foster, M.D. Increasingly restrictive “gate keeping” policies of health maintenance organizations, insurance companies, and other medical insurance plans have created increasing pressure on ophthalmologists to be parsimonious in their use of medical services in both the diagnostic and therapeutic care of patients with a variety of […]