The eye is shaped like a ball with three different layers. The outer layer is the sclera, the innermost is the retina, and the middle is the uvea. Uveitis is the inflammation of this vascular middle layer named Uvea. There are only a few full-time uveitis clinics in India, and the Uvea clinic at Aravind is one of them. The clinic is known for its high volume; 30-40 new and review uveitis patients are examined every day. The clinic has compiled a huge computerised database of nearly 22,000 new uveitis cases since its establishment.

Special investigations including FFA,USG,OCT,UBM serological investigations and histopathological examinations are performed for confirmation of the diagnosis. As India is a tropical country, uveitis caused by infectious agents is common, though non-infectious uveitis is also encountered.

There are two landmark achievements in the history of the Uvea clinic. One of these achievements is the identification of etiological agent of an epidemic outbreak of an infectious uveitis named Leptospiral uveitis. It was first published in 1996. Further studies on this entity have helped in characterisation of the clinical pattern of this rare form of uveitis. After realising the endemic nature of the disease, Aravind established a regional leptospirosis laboratory with the collaboration of the Royal Tropical Institute, the Netherlands and Indian Council of Medical Research. The laboratory is conducting basic research on etiopathogenesis of leptospiral uveitis.

Another milestone is the identification of paediatric trematode granulomatous uveitis, accomplished in collaboration with Professor Narsing A. Rao of the Dohney Eye Institute in Los Angeles. The study resulted in the first report of trematode-associated granulomatous uveitis in the literature. Several collaborative studies are in progress with Dr. Emmett Cunningham of the Proctor Foundation in San Francisco, USA. Till now, the uvea clinic of Aravind Eye Hospital has conducted 4 regional uveitis symposiums, one national uveitis symposium and one Leptospirosis symposium.