Introduction
The cornea is the clear front window of the eye that transmits light and plays an important role in vision. When the cornea is injured or becomes a subject to any type of corneal disease, it may lead to distortion of vision that will cause clouding and may also eventually lead to complete blindness.
Through this article, we will have a look at the overview of corneal diseases, common symptoms of the diseases, and corneal diseases treatment.
An overview of Corneal Diseases
To know what corneal diseases are and how they might affect your eyes, let us give you an overview of corneal diseases.
The most common causes of corneal diseases are refractive errors that include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. In such errors, the light passing through the cornea does not bend properly and focuses on the wrong place on the retina which may eventually lead to cloudy or blurred vision.
Apart from refractive errors, pollen allergies will lead to itching, pain, irritation, and discomfort in the eyes and Keratitis or inflammation of the cornea which is a common problem that occurs from overuse or incorrect use of contact lenses, also lead to corneal diseases and affect your vision negatively.
Corneal degeneration and dystrophies are also an important group of diseases that need to be mentioned when talking about corneal diseases. These are a group of hereditary diseases that affect the cornea causing structural changes and deposits. If not treated on time, these diseases may lead to altered vision and blindness.
Other common causes that lead to corneal diseases are-
- A Deep corneal injury that may lead to corneal scarring
- Vitamin A deficiencies
- Autoimmune disorders like RA, lupus, or Wegener’s disease
- Steven-Johnson syndrome which is a rare but serious inflammatory reaction to infections or medicines
- Dry eyes that are caused due to lack of lubrication
What are common symptoms of Corneal Diseases?
Now that we have discussed the common causes of corneal diseases and had a brief look at how they might affect your eyes, let us go through some common symptoms of these corneal diseases. Any diseases that affect the cornea will lead to the following common symptoms:
- Pain in the eye
- Irritation and swelling
- Distortion or clouding of vision
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Recurring and persisting redness of the eye
- Reduced sharpness of vision
- Tearing and watery eyes
If any of the above symptoms occur and won’t go away on their own, you might want to seek advice from a professional who offers corneal services and other eye care services.
Corneal Diseases Treatment types
There are mainly three types of corneal diseases treatment including medications, LASER, and surgery. The line of treatment the professional chooses to follow will differ from patient to patient, and will mainly depend on the type of corneal disease or disorder the patient is facing.
1. Medications:
Conditions like corneal herpes or similar other eye infections are commonly treated by administering anti-inflammatory eye drops, or oral medications.
2. LASER
This is a common line of treatment in case of refractive errors and the main goal of treatment is to correct the refractive error that has affected the vision.
3. Surgery
Corneal transplant surgery is often considered in conditions like Keratoconus where the cornea has taken the shape of a cone.
Why CFS?
Centre for sight (CFS) is a leading eye care provider in India that has been offering high quality vision care for over two decades. With the best eye surgeons and best in class treatment, you can be assured of receiving the best and topmost quality services from Centre for Sight (CFS).
Article: What falls under Corneal Services?
Author: CFS Editorial Team | Apr 06 2022 | UPDATED 02:00 IST
*The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of Centre for Sight.
