What are Corneal Ulcers?
The cornea is the clear, front “windshield” of the eye and serves as the most important structure to focus light and allow us to see clearly. Injuries, diseases and infections of the cornea can result in the “clear cornea” becoming more opaque resulting in reduction of vision. A corneal ulcer is an open sore on the outer surface of the cornea.
Common causes of corneal ulcers:
Infection due to Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi or Amoeba
Bacterial Corneal Ulcer
Symptoms
Eye pain
Sensitivity to light
Blurred vision
White spot on the normally clear cornea
Redness on the white of the eye
Diagnosis
Your doctor will exam your eye under the slit lamp microscope and can identify if there is a corneal ulcer. Special stains or dyes may be used during the examination to help examine the ulcer.
Treatment
Treatment will depend on the cause of the corneal ulcer. Frequently the exact cause of the infection is not known at the initial presentation. Your doctor may take a culture of the eye to aid in the diagnosis. Broad treatment will be started empirically until the culture result is returned from the lab and the cause is known.
Therapy to treat corneal ulcers require close monitoring and your doctor will likely exam the involved eye on a fairly frequent basis until the eye appears to be healing. Residual scarring of the cornea in the area of prior infection can reduce your vision. Your doctor may discuss options for improving your vision once the corneal ulcer has resolved.