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The cornea is the
clear tissue on the front of the eye and is
responsible for two thirds of the focusing power of
the eye. (The lens, where cataracts develop, does
the other third of the focusing). The cornea and
surrounding ocular surface can be the sites of
numerous diseases ranging from dry eye to those
that require transplantation of the cornea. Because
the cornea does most of the focusing of light,
changes in its shape or clarity can significantly
affect the degree to which the light is clearly
focused. Corneal diseases
generally fall into three categories. Those that
change the shape of the cornea, those that create
scars/opacities and those that are painful. (It is
quite common to have all three
combined.) Injuries and
infections are the most common causes of scars and
irregular reshaping. The most common corneal
infections are herpes simplex and those caused by
contact lenses. The most common
non-traumatic/non-infectious shape problem is
keratoconus. This is a familial, progressive
thinning and warping of the cornea which initially
requires rigid contact lenses and ultimately a
corneal transplant in many cases. The most common
non-infectious/non-traumatic opacity is Fuchs'
dystrophy. This is also an inherited disease and
causes progressive thickening and haziness. Salt
drops are of some limited benefit and this also
leads to corneal transplantation in many cases.
Common diseases that can be purely characterized by
pain/discomfort are dry eye, corneal abrasions
(scratching the superficial surface layer) and
recurrent erosions (where the surface comes
partially off without trauma.) Laser vision
correction involves gently reshaping the cornea so
that light comes to a focus on the retina. This can
significantly reduce a persons dependency on
glasses or contacts. All Ophthalmic
Associates doctors treat corneal disease. Dr.
Steiner has also completed fellowship training in
this subspecialty. |
Corneal
/External Disease