Corneal Diseases & Surgeries

The cornea is the domed clear covering at the front of the eye and is the first physical structure through which light passes. It is responsible for the majority of the focusing power of the eye. As a result, your ability to see clearly is significantly affected by changes in the cornea.

Just like any other tissue in the body, the cornea is susceptible to inflammation (called keratitis), infections, degenerations, inherited diseases and trauma. These may include any of the following ailments:

• Abrasion, a scratch resulting from trauma or occurring spontaneously
• Pterygium, a growth from the conjunctiva (overlying the white part of the eye) onto the clear cornea, which can cause redness, irritation and decreased vision, treated by surgical removal
• Superficial punctate keratitis, an inflammation on the superficial cornea cause by contact lens wear, viral infections, or a spontaneous occurrence
• Ulcer, an infection occurring from contact lens wear, surgery, or other causes
• Viral keratitis, a condition most commonly caused by herpetic eye disease (including shingles) or adenovirus infection

Inherited corneal dystrophies may include the following conditions:

• Keratoconus, an inherited dystrophy causing progressive thinning of the cornea with loss of vision, in some cases eventually requiring a corneal transplant
• Fuchs dystrophy, causing swelling in the cornea with loss of vision, sometimes requiring corneal transplantation
• Map-dot-fingerprint (MDF) dystrophy (or epithelial basement membrane dystrophy), leading to irritation and poor vision and treated with minor procedures