Well it stinks that your optometrist doesn't know anything about AS. When I got iritis a couple years ago the optometrist was totally aware of AS and kept asking me about back pains, and that's how I ended up with a correct diagnosis finally at age 35.

Sue's suggestion about asking your primary care doc to get you into the opthamologist sounds right on. Let iritis go too long and it damages your vision. I was close to that, had residue on my lens for several months but at some point it seems to have healed.