Gout flares often begin in your big toe or a lower limb. Pain and inflammation occur when too much uric acid crystallizes and deposits in the joints.
Symptoms of gout include severe pain, redness, and swelling in joints, often the big toe. Attacks can come suddenly, often at night.
During an acute attack, anti-inflammatory medications can help relieve pain and shorten the length of the attack. Patients with chronic gout can use behavioral modification such as diet, exercise, and decreased intake of alcohol to help minimize the frequency of such attacks. Patients with chronic gout are often treated with medications such as colchicine.
The most common ocular abnormality described in patients with gout is RED EYES. Gout can cause other ocular surface abnormalities, such as tophi deposition, subconjunctival transparent vesicles and hemorrhage, and vascular changes. These features have important clinical significance in early detection of the gout and prevention of eye injury.
Author
Paddy Kalish
OD, JD and B.Arch
