Iridocyclitis is an inflammation of the iris and ciliary body of the eye. It is the most common form of uveitis. There are complex causes of the disease, which can include trauma, surgery, autoimmune conditions, and microbial infections. The vast majority of the causes are endogenous and related to immune response.

The main clinical manifestations include impaired vision, eye pain, photophobia, excessive tearing, ciliary congestion, turbid aqueous humor, keratic precipitates, edema of the iris, and spasms and constriction of the pupil. This disease occurs most commonly in young people. Recurring symptoms can present themselves unilaterally or bilaterally, and can often lead to severe ocular complications.

In Chinese medicine, this disease is referred to as tóng shén jĭn xiăo (瞳神紧小, contracted pupils). The causative factors include dysfunction of liver, gallbladder and kidney, and also external pathogens such as wind, heat and dampness. The pathogenesis is often due to wind-heat attacking the eye along the liver channel, pathogenic fre of the liver and gallbladder invading upward through the channels, defciency fre faming upward, or wind-damp heat harassing the eye.

Because the disease is mostly caused by disorders of the zang-fu or external pathogens, the focus of the treatment is to regulate the zang-fu organs, eliminate pathogens, and support upright qi.