Cornea Diseases
The cornea is the front windshield of the eye and can be affected by hereditary dystrophies, infections, inflammation, growths, and more. Each patient's eye is different, and our doctors will perform a full evaluation, discuss the findings, and create a custom treatment plan for you.
Click on the titles below for a printer friendly handout.
With our specular microscopy we can see loss of individual cells in the cornea responsible for keeping the cornea clear. This leads to swelling and haze of the cornea, causing blur and glare. Fuchs is hereditary and can be treated with a partial corneal transplant.
Dry, gritty eyes can cause sharp eye pain and blurry vision. Prescription drops, plugs, and oral medications are just a few of the solutions we have to help increase the moisture of your eyes.
Teens and young adults with blurry vision and high astigmatism may have this hereditary condition that causes bulging and thinning of the cornea. Progression can now be treated with corneal crosslinking.
This benign fleshy growth on the conjunctiva develops from UV exposure and causes astigmatism with blurry vision, irritation and redness. It can be removed easily in the operating room.
Opacities of the cornea can also cause blurry vision. Causes include trauma, previous infection/ulcer, Salzmann nodular degeneration (callus-like growth), band keratopathy, and many others.
_edited.jpg)
The glands on the lid margins produce oil critical to the tear film and they can become inflamed. This inflammation can compound dry eye and cause inflammation/dryness of the cornea.
Red eyes, tearing, and irritation can be signs of "pink eye" or viral conjunctivitis - a very contagious infection. Severe infections can also affect the cornea and last for weeks.
Recurrent Erosion
Waking up with a painful, tearing eye in the middle of the night is a common sign of recurrent erosions. The surface layer of the cornea when dry or history of trauma can develop micro-scratches with friction from the eyelids.
Pollen and the season change brings on watery, itchy, red eyes. Other culprits include makeup, eye drop intolerance, and skin care products.
Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other organisms can cause vision threatening infections of the cornea. These organisms can come from contact lenses, trauma, exposure, and sometimes unknown causes.
The HSV virus causes cold sores and fever blisters. During times of stress the virus can travel along nerves and re-infect the cornea, leading to blurry vision, eye pain, redness, and inflammation of the eye. Antivirals can help control this disease.
Swelling of the cornea causes blurry, hazy vision from a variety of causes. Edema can develop after cataract surgery or from a hereditary dystrophy. Corneal transplants are highly effective in treating corneal edema.