ABSTRACT
In a pilot in 1985 we treated 45 patients suffering from recurrent anterior uveitis with heliotherapy (Dead Sea, Israel), improvements were noticed in 40% of the probants during the following year. In a further clinical trial 14 patients (25 affected eyes) received treatment with heliotherapy twice for 3 weeks with a 12 months interval. The clinical findings showed a significant correlation between administration of the therapy and intermittent inflammation of the eyes.
Subject(s)
Heliotherapy/methods , Iridocyclitis/therapy , Phototherapy/methods , Uveitis, Intermediate/therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Visual Acuity/radiation effectsABSTRACT
Natural treatment methods are currently becoming more and more interesting, in part due to recent results of experimental and clinical research. It has been shown that light of certain wavelengths has a systemic immunosuppressive effect. It therefore seemed logical to expose patients suffering from chronic iridocyclitis or intermediate (peripheral) uveitis to high doses of solar radiation. Following a stay in Israel (Dead Sea), a transient increase in visual acuity was observed. Inflammatory activity and the number of inflammatory attacks decreased. This could be the first step toward a more "physiological" method of immunosuppression in the treatment of chronic uveitis.
