{"id":1804,"date":"2026-10-20T08:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-glossary\/beh-et-s-eye-disease\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:56:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:56:25","slug":"beh-et-s-eye-disease","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-glossary\/beh-et-s-eye-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Beh\u00e7et’s Eye Disease: Symptoms, Treatment and Celebrities With Beh\u00e7et’s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. Home<\/a><\/li>
  2. Knowledge centre<\/a><\/li>
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  4. Beh\u00e7et’s Eye Disease: Symptoms, Treatment and Celebrities With Beh\u00e7et’s Disease<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Beh\u00e7et's Eye Disease: Symptoms, Treatment and Celebrities With Beh\u00e7et's Disease<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Medically reviewed by {{surgeon}}<\/span><\/strong>, {{surgeon’s title and specialty}}<\/span>, on {{review date}}<\/span>. Last updated {{date}}<\/span>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \"Illustration<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
    \n\t\t<\/svg>Definition<\/span>\n\t\t\t

    Beh\u00e7et’s eye disease<\/strong> (noun; also written Behcet’s eye disease or Beh\u00e7et uveitis)<\/em>: inflammation inside the eye that occurs as part of Beh\u00e7et’s disease, a rare, long-term condition in which inflammation of blood vessels affects the mouth, skin, joints and eyes. It usually appears as uveitis, comes in repeated attacks, often affects both eyes and can permanently damage vision if it is not treated. Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer (Do\u00e7. means Associate Professor), who leads uveitis and retina care at Laser Istanbul Clinic, reviews it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    Looking for celebrities with Beh\u00e7et’s disease? The few who have spoken publicly are covered below, after what the disease does to the eyes.<\/p><\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    Beh\u00e7et's eye disease: key facts<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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    <\/svg>What it is<\/span><\/dt>
    Eye inflammation, usually uveitis or retinal vasculitis, caused by Beh\u00e7et’s disease, an autoinflammatory condition of blood vessels<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>How common in Beh\u00e7et's<\/span><\/dt>
    About 7 in 10 people with Beh\u00e7et’s disease develop eye inflammation (NHS); EyeWiki gives roughly 70%<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Typical start<\/span><\/dt>
    Often in the 20s and 30s; in a large Istanbul study the average age at onset of uveitis was 28.5 years in men and 30 years in women<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Both eyes?<\/span><\/dt>
    Usually: 78.1% of 880 patients had both eyes involved<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Who is hit hardest<\/span><\/dt>
    Men, in whom eye disease is more common and often more severe<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Where it is common<\/span><\/dt>
    Countries along the old Silk Road, with the highest rates in T\u00fcrkiye; lower in North America and Northern Europe<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Cure<\/span><\/dt>
    None, but treatment can control attacks and protect sight<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Main treatments<\/span><\/dt>
    Corticosteroids, immunosuppressants such as azathioprine and ciclosporin, and TNF-inhibitor biologics (infliximab, adalimumab)<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/svg>Specialist<\/span><\/dt>
    Ophthalmologist who treats uveitis, working with a rheumatologist; at Laser Istanbul Clinic, Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer<\/dd><\/dl><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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    \"Illustration<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
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    What is Beh\u00e7et's disease, and what does it do to the eye?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Beh\u00e7et’s disease is a condition of inflammation in the blood vessels and tissues, and the NHS describes it as rare and poorly understood. It is named after the Turkish dermatologist Hulusi Beh\u00e7et, who described the combination of mouth ulcers, genital ulcers and eye inflammation in the 1930s. Because it can inflame veins and arteries of every size, it can touch many organs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    In the eye, the inflammation most often affects the uvea (the middle layer, which holds most of the eye’s blood vessels) and the retina. EyeWiki, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s wiki, describes the typical picture as non-granulomatous uveitis, with attacks that are “explosive and recurrent”. The whole uveal tract can be involved, and the most sight-threatening part is the back of the eye, where the disease causes an obliterative, necrotizing retinal vasculitis that, unusually, attacks both arteries and veins.<\/p>\n

    Beh\u00e7et’s eye disease is not an infection and is not contagious. Attacks come and go, and the damage from each one adds up, which is why preventing repeat attacks is the aim of treatment.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    Celebrities with Beh\u00e7et’s disease: who has spoken publicly about it?<\/h2><\/div>

    Very few well-known people have said publicly that they have Beh\u00e7et’s disease, because it is rare in the countries where celebrity news is produced and most people keep their health private. We include only people who have talked about their own diagnosis, so the list is short.<\/p>\n