Preface

Ocular immunology and uveitis stand as one of the most innovative and developed subspecialties in ophthalmology. Improvements in our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms, development of more accurate diagnostic tools, and better treatment alternatives for patients with uveitis comes from the continuous efforts of researchers from all over the world who are committed to improving the standard of care of patients suffering from these potentially blinding diseases.

 This book focuses on the most recent advances in diagnostic techniques for primary and systemic-associated autoimmune and infectious uveitis, as well as new therapeutic strategies that have significantly reduced the rate of ocular complications and improved the visual outcome of patients suffering from these devastating disorders.

In the introductory chapter, we give an overview of the current diagnostic techniques and therapeutic strategies for uveitis, as well as future trends.

 Three sections comprise the book content. The noninfectious uveitis section includes the introductory chapter and two of the most severe forms of chronic panuveitis: Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) disease and Behçet's disease. On the one hand, VKH is a common autoimmune disease with a high prevalence among certain ethnic groups, including Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans; and Behçet's disease is another form of autoimmune vasculitis mainly affecting Asians and Europeans from the Mediterranean basin countries. Both disorders have a prolonged and recurrent clinical course and nowadays continue to represent a vision threat and a therapeutic challenge.

 The infectious uveitis section is composed of a chapter on viral retinitis, particularly related to the herpesviruses, one of the most rapidly destructive forms of posterior uveitis. In this chapter, the authors discuss in detail the recent diagnostic tests used for each type of herpesvirus and the specific anti-viral regimens currently used to treat this severe condition. The other chapter from this section focuses on the importance of tuberculosis screening tests to avoid reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB) related to immunosuppression, particularly with anti-TNFα biologics for patients with different forms of autoimmune uveitis.

The final section of the book focuses on advances in therapeutic strategies for uveitis, covering the therapeutic indications and future perspectives of biologic agents for the management of ocular inflammation. Also, it includes a chapter on an innovative noninvasive intraocular drug delivery system using iontophoresis.

In the future, innovation and development of better diagnostic tools will allow us to increase our diagnostic capability and will reveal many unknown causes of uveitis, closing the gap with the present idiopathic cases. On the other hand, therapeutic strategies should be more specifically targeted and hence more efficient, safer, and better tolerated than present modalities.

We want to thank all the authors involved in this project for their commitment and for sharing their knowledge and expertise in this challenging field that represents uveitis.

#### **Alejandro Rodriguez-Garcia, MD**

Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Monterrey, Mexico

#### **C. Stephen Foster, MD, FACS, FACR**

Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institute, Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Section 1
