The cornea is the transparent tissue at the very front of the eye ball and has a great effect on  vision.  Many diseases may occur due to infection and structural disorders in the cornea.

Corneal Scratching

Corneal traumas occur frequently in daily life due to direct contact of cornea to  external environment. Simple level corneal injuries can occur for various reasons in daily life and usually the cell layer called the epithelium, which is located at the outermost part of the cornea, is damaged. In this case, patients have severe stinging, burning, watering and foreign body sensation in the injured eye. Although patient complaints are noisy in corneal epithelium injuries, recovery is quite fast with treatment. Therapeutic contact lens wear and antibiotic drops are recommended for treatment. Patients’ complaints usually resolve within 12-24 hours.

Keratitis (Corneal Infection)

Keratitis is defined as the infection of the corneal tissue. Trauma, improper contact lens use, intraocular foreign bodies, untreated periocular infections, advanced dry eye disease, and corneal exposure are some of the causes of keratitis. When keratitis is diagnosed, the causative factor should be identified and treatment should be planned according to factor. Some types of keratitis can be particularly aggressive; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important. Keratitis can cause vision loss when diagnosed late or not treated appropriately.

Keratitis treatment is primarily medical treatment, although in some types of keratitis, hospitalization, frequent follow-up, and surgery may be required. 

Herpetic Keratitis (Ocular Herpes)

It is a type of keratitis due to the herpes virus infection. Herpes virus can affect different layers of cornea and symptoms may vary accordingly.  Some patients have no complaints and some patients may experience serious vision loss. Treatment is started as soon as the diagnosis is made and closely monitored. If patients left untreated, the cornea may lose its transparency and cause permanent vision loss.

Keratoconus

Keratoconus can be described as the cornea losing its shape and protruding forward. Keratoconus usually occurs in early adolescence or puberty. Its first symptoms are blurred vision and frequent eyeglass prescription changes. If left undiagnosed, the deformity in the cornea continues to increase and may cause significant decreases in vision. Keratoconus is diagnosed with a routine eye examination and corneal topography. After the diagnosis is made, the aim is to stop the progression of keratoconus. A procedure called cross-linking is applied to strengthen the structure of the cornea and prevent the progression of keratokonus. The cross-linking procedure is a 30-minute procedure performed by applying vitamin B to the corneal surface and exposing the cornea to ultraviolet light. After the crosslinking procedure, the aim is to increase the level of vision with special contact lenses.

Pterygium

In a normal eye, the membrane-like structure around the eye (conjunctiva) ends where the corneal tissue begins and does not extend over the cornea. When this condition is disrupted due to various factors, the conjunctival tissue begins to advance over the cornea. The rate of advancement varies from person to person, but it occurs slowly over the years. If left untreated, it can cause frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions, damage to the corneal tissue, and in advanced cases, decrease in the quality of vision. Pterygium treatment is surgical. The tissue on the cornea is removed and the cornea-conjunctiva border is recreated with a piece of healthy tissue taken from the same eye.