By Stephen Roberts 

Vision correction  surgery proved necessary for Hollywood star Mila Kunis who had struggled with chronic iritis for years. Otherwise known as uveitis, the condition describes a severe inflammation of the iris - the coloured part of the eye - and causes blurring of the vision which can lead to cataracts and even a change in the colour of the iris. In Mila's case, she tells Cosmopolitan magazine that "I was blind in one eye for many years and nobody knew." Yet this has not stopped her becoming a big star in the Hollywood firmament following her award-winning performance as Lily in The Black Swan where she plays the ballet dancing rival of Natalie Portman.

The Ukrainian-born actress has been feted for her performance winning both the Best Young Actress award at the 2010 Venice Film Festival and the Screen Writers Guild award for Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role. These notable achievements - and other recognition she had previously enjoyed as an actress - were achieved despite having to deal with a major vision handicap. Eventually, Mila underwent surgery in late 2010 and she revealed that the vision correction  procedure had been a success: "I'm not blind anymore. I had surgery a couple of months ago. They cut it open and dropped a new lens in there."

Uveitis involves swelling and irritation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye which provides most of the blood supply to the retina and is the third leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed world. The inflammation may be associated with autoimmune diseases, but most cases occur in healthy people who are young or middle aged. Among the symptoms are eye pain when exposed to bright light; reddened eye, especially adjacent to the iris; a small or irregularly shaped pupil and blurred vision. For Mila, the success of the vision correction  surgery means she can now look forward to continuing her acting career.

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