What Is Keratitis?
Keratitis is an infection and inflammation of the cornea. The clear, dome-shaped tissue on the appearance of your eye covers the pupil and iris. Keratitis may or may not be correlated with an infection. Noninfectious keratitis can be attacked by relatively minor damage, by wearing your contact lenses too long, or by a foreign body in the eye. Infectious keratitis can be generated by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
If you have eye redness or other manifestations of keratitis, make an appointment to see your doctor. With prompt attention, mild to moderate cases of keratitis can regularly be effectively treated without loss of vision. If left untreated, or if an infection is difficult, keratitis can lead to serious difficulties that may permanently damage your vision.
Types
There are two main types of keratitis that involve infectious and noninfectious. Within these two classes, there are other methods of the condition.
Noninfectious etiology of keratitis include:
- Using contact lenses for too long
- The eye drying out, sometimes if the eye does not create enough tears
- An allergy, for example to cosmetics or pollution
- Something in the eye that should not be there
- Damage to the cornea
- Exposure to bright sunlight, for example from water or snow
- Vitamin A deficiency
Infectious types of keratitis involve:
- Bacterial, normally from unclean contact lenses
- Fungal, most often from eye damage by a tree branch or plant
- Viral, from infection with the herpes simplex virus or herpes zoster virus
- Parasitic, produced by a tiny organism often found in lakes and rivers
Causes
Injury
If any object damages or injuries the surface of your cornea, noninfectious keratitis may occur. In addition, an injury may enable microorganisms to gain access to the injured cornea, causing infectious keratitis.
Contaminated contact lenses
Bacteria, fungi, or parasites particularly the microscopic parasite acanthamoeba may hinder the surface of a contact lens or contact lens carrying case. The cornea may enhance contamination when the lens is in your eye, resulting in infectious keratitis. Over-wearing your contact lenses can produce keratitis, which can become infectious.
Viruses
The herpes viruses that include herpes simplex and herpes zoster may cause keratitis.
Bacteria
The bacterium that causes gonorrhea can produce keratitis.
Contaminated water
Bacteria, fungi, and parasites in water especially in oceans, rivers, lakes, and hot tubs can begin your eyes when you are swimming and result in keratitis. However, even if you are revealed to these bacteria, fungi, or parasites, a healthy cornea is incredible to become infected unless there has been some previous breakdown of the corneal surface. For instance: wearing a contact lens too long.
Symptoms
Pain in the eye is the key sign of keratitis because the cornea is the part of the eye that accommodates to focus the light, vision may be blurred.
Someone may also perceive that they have something in their eye, even if they do not and the eye may water more than normal. The eye can also appear red, and there may be some secretion.
A person with keratitis may be sensitive to light, which is referred to as photophobia. They may avoid looking toward a light, having a bright light on in the house, or being extreme in strong sunlight.
Treatment
Noninfectious Keratitis
Treatment of noninfectious keratitis changes depending on the severity. For example, with mild distress from a corneal scratch, artificial tear drops may be the only treatment. However, if keratitis is causing important tearing and pain, a 24-hour eye patch and topical eye medicines may be required.
Infectious Keratitis
Treatment of infectious keratitis alters, depending on the cause of the infection.
Bacterial keratitis
For mild bacterial keratitis, antibacterial eye drops may be all you require to effectively treat the infection. If the infection is mild to severe, you may need to take an oral antibiotic to get relieved of the infection.
Fungal keratitis
Keratitis caused by fungi typically needs antifungal eyedrops and oral antifungal medication.
Viral Keratitis
If a virus is causing the infection, antiviral eyedrops and oral antiviral medicines may be effective. Other viruses require only supportive care such as artificial teardrops.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis
Keratitis that is caused by the tiny parasite acanthamoeba can be challenging to treat. Antibiotic eye drops are used, but some acanthamoeba infections are opposing to medication. Severe cases of acanthamoeba keratitis may need a cornea transplant.
if keratitis does not react to medication or if it causes permanent harm to the cornea that significantly impairs your vision. your doctor may prescribe a cornea transplant.
