Some corneal conditions are inherited or it has hereditary factors associated with it. With the right medical attention the eye-sight can be preserved by detecting the condition early and getting the most appropriate treatment.
Treatment of acquired conditions could be as simple as using the prescribed eye-drops.
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What is Cornea?
The outer-most transparent layer of the eye is the Cornea. It is only part of the eye that is directly exposed to the atmosphere, hence, can easily get into situations that require medical attention.
Some conditions can be easily looked after, while conditions like serious conditions such as infections, degenerative conditions, deterioration needs medical attention.
Connecting with an expert minimizes corneal eye conditions and assists you to live a healthier life.
Detecting Corneal Conditions
Serious and critical cornea conditions are generally detected after a thorough eye examination by a specialist or an Opthalmologist. The conditions you should look out for are as follows
- Pain in the eye
- Tearing
- Redness
- Sensitivity to light
- Corneal scarring
- Blurred vision
Our cornea gets damaged because of diseases, injury or infection. This leads to scars or discoloration of the cornea that can interfere with vision by blocking or distorting light as it enters the eye.
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Conditions that can damage cornea
Though the actual number is higher, the most common dystrophies or corneal conditions are listed below.
Keratoconus
Keratoconus changes the curvature of the cornea, which leads to mild or severe distortion called irregular astigmatism.
. It is a progressive condition that thins the cornea and may also cause swelling, vision loss and scaring of cornea.
Herpes zoster(shingles)
Herpes zoster can occur in anyone exposed to the chickenpox virus. There is a greater risk among seniors and people with a weakened immune system.
Shingles is a recurrence of the chickenpox virus in people who have already had the disease. It can cause blisters or lesions on the cornea, fever and pain.
Lattice Dystrophy
Lattice dystrophy is characterized by the clear overlapping lines of proteins in the stroma. This makes the cornea cloudy and reduces eye-sight clarity. It can occur at any age, early changes can be seen in childhood.
There is an abnormal presence of abnormal protein fibers throughout the stroma. It can lead to cloudy cornea, lowered eye-sight & epithelial erosion.
Ocular Herpes
The main cause is the simplex virus I (HSV I). Ocular Herpes can also cause sexually transmitted herpes i.e. HSV II. It produces sores on the surface of the eye that can cause scarring or lowered eye-sight. The inflammation can spread deeper into the cornea and eye. This can be controlled using presctibed eye-drops and medication.
Fuch Dystrophy
This is a slowly progressing disease, the disease doesn’t normally affect vision until about 20 years later. It is more common in women than men. Fuch’s dystrophy is a gradual deterioration of the innermost layer of the cornea. This layer is responsible for maintaining corneal clarity. The symptoms can get visible as early as 30 or 40s.
Map dot fingerpoint Dystrophy
This disease can impact children who have inherited this. It is generally detected in people between 40 and 70 years. In this condition the outer-most part of the cornea gets folds and dots similar to a map. This changes the patterns in the cornea. It is usually pain less and does not cause blindness.
Keratitis
Though uncommon this condition may occur dur to injuries from contact lenses. This is an inflammation and ulceration of cornea caused by bacteria and fungi. It is characterized by severe pain, corneal discharge, light sensitivity, reduced visual clarity.