Keratitis
La keratitis is inflammation of the cornea, the tissue that covers the pupil and the iris. When this membrane increases its volume visual discomfort occurs important and the eyes look red and irritated.
La keratitis can be caused by a tailored minor trauma or by most important conditions like a bacterial infection.
Keratitis
La keratitis is inflammation of the cornea, the tissue that covers the pupil and the iris. When this membrane increases its volume visual discomfort occurs important and the eyes look red and irritated.
La keratitis can be caused by a tailored minor trauma or by most important conditions like a bacterial infection.
What is keratitis?
The cornea is a transparent tissue that is located at the front of the eye and covers the pupil and iris. Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea What can be infectious or not, whose consecuencias are visual abnormality, blurred vision and, in more serious cases where keratitis is not treated in time, corneal ulcer.
La Keratitis may or may not be caused by an infection by bacteria, fungus, parasites, or contamination. When it is not infectious often happens for an injury, prolonged use of contact lenses y non-infectious eye diseases.
Some people are exposed to risk factor's which increase the odds to suffer from keratitis such as:
- El prolonged use of contact lenses It increases the risk of suffering both infectious and non-infectious, especially in those people who do not disinfect the lens, who use it for swimming or who use it for longer than recommended.
- People with weakened immune systems because of other diseases or medical treatments.
- Living in a humid climate increases the risk of suffering it.
- Pre-existing damage to the cornea.
- Excessive use of drops with corticosteroids for the treatment of some eye disease.
Causes of keratitis
As we mentioned earlier, the causes that cause keratitis or inflammation of the cornea can be very varied and are not always associated with an infection, let's look at some of the principales:
Eye injury
Any object that enters the eye can scratch the cornea and cause non-infectious keratitis. When this happens increases the risk that bacteria or pathogens enter through the opening of the injury causing the condition becomes infectious.
Contaminated lenses
There are microscopic parasites called Acanthamoeba they can live glued to a contact lens or case where these are kept. When placing a contaminated lens inside the eye, cornea becomes inflamed and there is a infectious keratitis.
Contaminated water
Any pathogen that is present in the polluted water from beaches, rivers or public spas can enter the eye and infect the cornea, especially if the person in question has a previous break in the tissue.
If the cornea is healthy and there are no pre-existing injuries is very difficult to produce a keratitis upon contact with contaminated water. Also, the cleaning y chemical which are used for pool maintenance can cause chemical keratitis it irritates the cornea and weakens the tissue.
Virus
El herpes zoster virusplatforms, herpes simplex not only cause herpes on the eyelid but also can lead to keratitis, specifically the one known as herpetic keratitis.
La chlamydia is one of the most associated with the virus keratitis.
Keratitis symptoms
The Keratitis symptoms depend in measure of the type of keratitis That is present. En most cases can be recognize keratitis easily by the following symptoms:
- Red eyes.
- Eye pain.
- Eye discharge or excess tearing.
- Decreased vision
- Blurry vision.
- Difficulty opening completely eyelid.
- Sensitivity to light.
- Sensation of having something inside the eye.
La chronic keratitis that has not been treated correctly can cause vision lossfor this reason it is very important to attend the ophthalmologist in case of symptoms of keratitis.
Keratitis treatment
El Keratitis treatment can vary depending on its cause:
Bacterial keratitis
When the bacterial keratitis it's mild, the ophthalmologist will prescribe topical antibiotics and drops eyepieces to calm symptoms of the condition.
However when the condition is chronic it may be necessary to consume oral antibiotics. If keratitis does not respond to treatment and eye health is compromised, the doctor may consider perform surgery.
Viral keratitis
El viral keratitis treatment is done by medicines and antiviral drops that help fight the virus.
In people who suffer from shingles or herpes simplex it is possible that the keratitis will reappear in the future, what is known as Herpetic keratitis.
Fungal keratitis
Must be treated with eye and oral antifungal drugs.
Acanthamoeba keratitis
La Acanthamoeba keratitis is caused by microscopic parasites present on contact lenses and this type of keratitis is the most difficult to treat.
Usually prescribed antibiotics dropsbut some of these parasites have proven to be drug resistant. Treating this disease in its initial phase is vital to eradicate it completely. If antibiotics do not cause the expected effect, the need to remove the lesion o transplant the cornea.