When you consider the anatomy of your eyes and your ability to see clearly, it’s easy to think that it’s the lens that does all the heavy lifting when it comes to focusing things in your field of vision. In reality, it’s the cornea that focuses about two-thirds of the light entering your eye, leaving the lens to do the fine tuning.
This outer covering of the eye is also the first line of defense against damage, debris and disease, so it’s affected by more than its fair share of problems — a group of conditions and disorders collectively known as corneal diseases.
At Advanced Lasik in the Midtown East section of New York City, as well as Long Beach and Duarte, California, ophthalmologist Randa Garrana, MD, and our team can help address any vision problem, including those that stem from the corneas. Let’s take a closer look at the ins and outs of these diseases — from diagnosis to treatment.
A collection of conditions that affect the clear covering of the outer surface of the eyes, corneal diseases disrupt the normal functions of the cornea. There are a wide range of conditions that affect your corneas, stemming from an equally wide range of causes.
Most corneal diseases can be diagnosed with a comprehensive eye exam. To assess corneal damage more thoroughly, we may include a slit lamp exam or a fluorescein stain test.
The most common corneal diseases fall into three general categories:
These are genetic conditions that cause abnormalities in one or more layers of corneal tissue. Fuchs’ dystrophy is the most common, occurring when the cornea swells with fluid resulting from dying corneal cells. In severe cases, a corneal transplant is typically recommended.
Other corneal dystrophies include:
Some corneal dystrophies can be degenerative, meaning they progressively worsen over time.
Conditions that change the shape of your corneas are grouped as corneal ectasia. Keratoconus is the most common of these, where the cornea becomes cone-shaped instead of dome-like. Sometimes, corneal ectasia occurs as a side effect of some eye surgeries.
When the cornea becomes inflamed, the condition falls into the keratitis category. Inflammation can be infectious or noninfectious. Most cases of keratitis result from bacterial infections — although fungi, parasites, and viruses may also be responsible.
Dry eyes and eye injuries can cause eye inflammation without infection.
The treatment protocol for corneal disease varies depending on the specific condition. Dr. Garrana may recommend:
As with many medical conditions, early discovery and treatment of corneal disease usually results in the best outcomes.
Are you having eye or vision issues? We can help. Call or click online to request an appointment at Advanced Lasik today. We have one East Coast office in Midtown East, New York City, and two West Coast offices in Duarte and Long Beach, California.
