What causes eye cornea damage?
Perich Eye Centers
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Perich Eye Centers 〰️
The cornea is a transparent, dome-shaped layer that covers the front of the eye and plays a vital role in vision. Any damage to the cornea can lead to significant vision problems, ranging from mild blurriness to complete loss of vision. But what causes damage to the cornea?
There are many factors that can contribute to corneal damage, including injuries, infections, genetic conditions, and underlying health issues. The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye and is clear. This layer can also be genetically faulty. The cornea is there to help protect your eye from outside debris and helps you see things clearly.
Corneal damage can occur due to a variety of factors, including:
Injuries: Any physical injury to the eye, such as a scratch, cut, or impact, can damage the cornea.
Infections: Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can cause inflammation and damage to the cornea. Common examples include keratitis, herpes simplex virus, and fungal keratitis.
Allergies: Allergies can cause swelling and irritation of the cornea, leading to damage over time.
Genetic conditions: Certain genetic conditions such as corneal dystrophies can cause gradual damage to the cornea over time.
Underlying health issues: Medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and other autoimmune diseases can cause inflammation and damage to the cornea.
Prolonged use of contact lenses: Wearing contact lenses for extended periods of time can cause corneal damage due to lack of oxygen to the cornea or infection. This is why it is so important to follow the directions of use for your specific lenese. For example: daily contacts should only be used 1 time; monthly contacts should only be used for 30 days then tossed regardless of how many days you actually put them in and should be taken out nightly to clean and soak.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation: Prolonged exposure to UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds can cause damage to the cornea over time.
Chemical burns: Exposure to certain chemicals, such as cleaning products or pool chemicals, can cause severe damage to the cornea.
It is important to seek medical attention if you experience any symptoms of corneal damage, such as eye pain, redness, blurred vision, or sensitivity to light. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent further damage and preserve your vision.
Can my cornea heal itself?
The cornea does have the ability to send new cells to the site should a scratch occur- however depending on how deep the scratch is will depend on the eyes own ability to heal. Light surface scratches will have the best possible outcome in the least amount of time.
Deeper scratches do have the possibility to heal themselves, although they will take longer to do so. The key is to make sure you are being extra careful during the healing process and to make sure to get it looked at right away to determine the extent of the damage.
As with any medical issue, the sooner you have a doctor take a look and run any necessary tests to make sure there is not serious damage and to know just how to care for it. While the healing is taking place, you might notice a few symptoms like blurry vision, watery eyes, pain, and/or redness.
Making sure to give your eyes enough rest each day to allow the healing to occur is needed. Avoid staring at screens too long or getting to much sunlight exposure. Sunglasses are a staple anyways in Florida, but be sure to use them when you go outside and take extra care.
What if the damage is too deep, is there any treatment or surgery for that?
There is such a thing as cornea surgery should your cornea get permanently damaged. Due to conditions such as scarring after injury or infections, keratoconus, a hereditary corneal failure, or any other condition resulting in glare or blurred vision, corneal surgery can be preformed to remove the damaged cornea and replace it with a clear donor cornea. Clouding or repeated scarring of the corneal tissues over time may eventually obscure vision until you need surgery. Extremely thin corneal tissue caused by keratoconus may also require transplantation.
A corneal transplant (keratoplasty) is a procedure in which some or all of a cornea in need of replacement is removed and replaced with donor tissue. The surgery may be done with traditional surgical technologies or with the aid of a surgical laser.
Through a cornea transplant surgery, your vision can improve significantly and has a high success rate. This surgery does require a donor cornea and thus there typically is a wait until one can become available.
The cornea transplant surgery removes part of your damaged cornea tissue and is then replaced with the donor’s cornea in the same size. Tiny cuts along the outer edge by a laser or a blade are specifically done to ensure the best possible healing process.
Once the whole procedure is completed, your doctor will place bandages over your eye to ensure it is protected while healing. Follow up appointments are important to ensure everything is healing correctly.
If you think you have damaged your cornea, feel free to call us today at whichever of our five Central Florida locations is closest to you. Click here to view our locations and their corresponding phone numbers.
