Keratitis or corneal ulcer is an eye condition with the inflammation of the cornea (eyes front part), marked by pain, and may involve impaired eyesight.
What is keratitis?
Inflammation of the cornea (Corneal ulcer) may be acute or chronic, superficial or deep. Superficial keratitis is common and may happen at any age. Untreated or recurrent keratitis may lead to blindness.
Keratitis Causes
Keratitis is mostly causing by eye infection; some of the common causes of these infections are:
- Bacterial infections cause corneal ulcers and are common among contact lens’s users.
- Viral infections cause corneal ulcers, such as viruses include the herpes simplex virus (virus that causes cold sores) or the varicella virus (virus that causes chickenpox and shingles).
- A fungal infection causes corneal ulcers and may develop with improper contact lens care or the overuse of eye drops that contain steroids.
- Tiny tears to the corneal surface may cause corneal ulcers. These tears can come from injuries damaging the corneal surface and help bacteria to invade easily causing the corneal ulcer.
- Disorders that cause dry eyes; has no or limited germ fighting protection tears causing ulcers?
- Chemical solution splashes can injure the cornea and lead to corneal ulceration.
- Contact lens users are at an increased risk of corneal ulcers.
Keratitis symptoms
Some of the most common symptoms of keratitis are:
- Red eye
- Eye pain
- Feel something in the eye
- Tearing
- Pus or thick discharge from the eye
- Blurry vision
- Increased pain when seeing at bright lights
- Swollen eyelids
- A white or gray spot on the cornea that is visible with the naked eye.
Herpes simplex keratitis
A major cause of adult eye disease, herpes simplex keratitis may lead to:
- Chronic cornea inflammation
- Tiny blood vessel developments in the eye
- Scarring
- Vision loss
- Glaucoma
Keratitis diagnosis
- Slit lamp examination helps to diagnose the depth of the keratitis eye infection.
- Swab the eye or take samples from the eye using a fluorescein strip to confirm the diagnosis of herpes simplex infection.
- Testing visual sharpness and clearness (visual acuity)
- Testing how well the pupil responds to light.
- Patient’s history is requiring knowing about any recent infection of the upper respiratory tract accompanied by cold sores.
Keratitis home remedies
- A sterile, cotton-tipped applicator may be useful to remove infected tissue and allow the eye to heal more rapidly.
- Can wear an eye patch is to protect it from bright light and foreign particles.
- Minor infections are treating with antibacterial or antifungal eye drops.
- If the keratitis cause by dry eye, artificial tears for lubrication are effective.
- Vitamin supplementation such as vitamin A can useful in case of the cause of deficiency.
Keratitis antibiotic treatment
An acute case of keratitis due to the herpes simplex virus is commonly treating with trifluridine eye drops or vidarabine ointment. A broad-spectrum antibiotic may prevent secondary bacterial infection.
Chronic dendritic keratitis may effectively treat with vidarabine, long term topical therapy may be necessary. Corticosteroid therapy is contraindicating in dendritic keratitis or other viral or fungal disease of the cornea. Fungal keratitis may treat with natamycin.
Keratitis due to exposure requires application of moisturizing ointment to the exposed cornea and protects it with an eye patch. Severe corneal scarring may treat by keratoplasty (cornea transplantation).
Keratitis prevention
- Many forms of keratitis can prevent by good hygiene.
- Protecting the cornea from injury is the first step, since keratitis also results from a corneal injury.
- If having a cold sore or genital herpes, avoid touching the eyes.
- Have well-balanced diet, including vitamin A rich foods such as carrots, squash, mangoes, sweet potatoes, and spinach.
Prevention tips for contact lens users
- Contact lens’s users should always use sterile lens cleanser and disinfection solution.
- Do not over use contact lenses at night and make the eyes red or irritated.
- Never sleep with the contact lenses in the eyes.
- Always store the lenses in disinfecting solutions overnight.
- Regularly clean your contact lens case.