Scleritis is very rare (I’ve never seen a case)!ย The sclera is the white, leathery shell that keeps the eyeball together (see Diagram —ย Anatomy of the Eye).ย It can get inflamed; half the time it’s due to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, half it’s “idiopathic” (“nobody knows why”).ย Scleritis can destroy the eye.
Symptoms are mainly a deep, digging pain, that’s worse with eye movements.ย At first glance, the eye looks red because the conjunctiva are inflamed; but on closer inspection, we may see the normally-white color of the sclera has turned a subtle dusky purplish.ย Treatment requires anti-inflammatory medications.ย Anybody with bad eye pain needs to see an ophthalmologist ASAP.
