corneal opacity
La cornea It is the structure of the eye that allows the passage of light from the outside to the retina and, for it to function correctly, it must have an adequate curvature and be transparent.
La corneal opacity is a pathology what happens when the cornea loses its transparency, which makes it difficult for light to reach the retina and affects vision.
In some cases, the opacity of the cornea is the product of other corneal injuries that have caused the tissue to appear white and cloudy.
corneal opacity
La cornea It is the structure of the eye that allows the passage of light from the outside to the retina and, for it to function correctly, it must have an adequate curvature and be transparent.
La corneal opacity is a pathology what happens when the cornea loses its transparency, which makes it difficult for light to reach the retina and affects vision.
In some cases, the opacity of the cornea is the product of other corneal injuries that have caused the tissue to appear white and cloudy.
What is corneal opacity?
The cornea is one of the most important parts of the eye structure. It is a transparent fabric with refractive capacity that protects the iris and lens from external agents.
The transparent property of the cornea makes it possible for light from outside to enter the eye so that images are formed. However, corneal opacity occurs when the cornea, for certain reasons, loses its transparency and becomes opaque.
This disorder prevents the light that enters the eye from being projected correctly onto the retina, causing blurred vision of images at any distance.
Causes of the opaque cornea
Corneal opacity can occur from various causes, it can even be a consequence of other corneal injuries. The most common causes of corneal opacity are:
- Infectious keratitis. The keratitis It is the inflammation of the cornea that can be caused by an injury or by an infection caused by a virus, bacteria, fungi or other pathogens.
- Corneal edema. The loss of transparency of the cornea can also be caused by the sheets of corneal tissue becoming too dense as a result of fluid retention. Edema, in addition to making the cornea cloudy, can deform the tissue.
- Ocular herpes. Herpes or herpetic keratitis is a fairly common infection that can lead to corneal scarring and, as a consequence, corneal opacity.
- Trachoma. It is a kind of infectious and chronic conjunctivitis which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. One of the main symptoms of this viral infection is the opacity of the cornea.
- Eye burn. Overexposure to ultraviolet rays and contact with chemicals can cause eye burns and affect the cornea.
- Contact lenses. Corneal opacity is associated with the use of contact lenses or sleeping lenses.
- Peters syndrome. It is a rare congenital pathology that develops between weeks 10 and 16 of gestation. It also causes the cornea to turn whitish.
- Sjögren syndrome. It is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that affects the mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of the eyes and mouth.
- Injury and trauma. Any strong blow to the ocular structure can cause severe damage to the cornea that generates opacity of the tissue.
Corneal opacity symptoms
When light is not projected onto the retina, images are not formed correctly. For this reason, the main symptom loss of transparency of the cornea is blurred vision.
Other symptoms of corneal opacity are:
- Photophobia or sensitivity to light.
- feeling of having grit or some foreign body inside the eye.
- Ocular redness
- Irritation in the affected eye.
- Swelling in the eyelids.
- Sight loss.
Corneal opacity treatment
Depending on the cause of the corneal opacity, ophthalmologists decide to resort to one treatment or another. Therefore, the first what to do is to attend the ophthalmologist to review the ocular structure and be able to make a diagnosis.
When the cause of the corneal opacity is not serious, the problem can be reversed through the following treatments:
- Application of antibiotic or steroid eye drops.
- Orally administered medications.
- Surgery to remove scar tissue.
- When the cause is minor and affects only the epithelium, the disease usually heals on its own without leaving sequelae.
In case the patient has keratitis, or a corneal ulcer, there is a risk of sequelae remaining on the cornea after treatment. The patient is usually left with a cornea thinner and slightly opaque.
In the most serious cases, we can choose a keratoplasty o cornea transplant. This procedure consists of remove the partially or totally opaque cornea and replace it with a healthy and transparent cornea from a donor.
