Eye Health, Ocular Manifestations, & Lupus

Understanding the eye “The eye is a very elegant organ… that’s very complicated and a lot more resilient than you think it is.” That quote comes from Dr. Sergio Schwartzman, a rheumatologist, during a presentation on lupus and eye problems at a Hospital for Special Surgery SLE Workshop. During that presentation, Dr. Schwartzman highlighted that the eye is an “immune privileged” organ. Immune privileged organs are protected from the body’s immune system. This means that the immune system will not generate a response (typically inflammation) even if there are antigens or antibodies present that could serve as triggers. Only a few parts of the human body are thought to have this rare functionality. They include the: eyes brain placenta and fetus testicles Why is immune privilege beneficial? Minimizing inflammation may be a way that the organs protect themselves. The listed organs can play a critical role in survival. In autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune response may be strong enough to override this inflammation protection. This is one of the ways where the eye may be at risk for problems as a result of lupus.

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