Keratitis
What is Keratitis ?
Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea — the clear, dome-shaped tissue on the front of your eye that covers the pupil and iris. Keratitis may or may not be associated with an infection. Noninfectious keratitis can be caused by a relatively minor injury, such as wearing your contact lenses too long or getting a foreign body in the eye. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites can cause infectious keratitis.
If you have eye redness or other symptoms of keratitis, make an appointment to see an eye specialist. With prompt attention, mild to moderate cases of keratitis can usually be effectively treated without loss of vision. If left untreated or if an infection is severe, keratitis can lead to serious complications that may permanently damage your vision.
Symptoms
- Eye redness
- Eye pain
- Excess tears or other discharge from your eye
- Difficulty opening your eyelid
- Blurred vision
- Decreased vision
- Sensitivity to light, called photophobia
- A feeling that something is in your eye
- Red, irritated and bloodshot eyes
- Swollen Eyelids
Cause
Causes of keratitis include Injury. If any object scratches or injures the surface of your cornea, noninfectious keratitis may result. Additionally, an injury may allow microorganisms to gain access to the damaged cornea, leading to infectious keratitis. Bacteria, fungi, or parasites. These organisms may live on the surface of a contact lens or a contact lens carrying case. The cornea may become contaminated when the lens is in your eye, resulting in infectious keratitis. Poor contact lens hygiene or contact lens overwear can cause both noninfectious and infectious keratitis. Viruses. The herpes viruses — herpes simplex and herpes zoster — may cause keratitis. Bacteria. Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas are common bacteria involved in keratitis. Contaminated water. Bacteria, fungi, and parasites in water, particularly in oceans, rivers, lakes, and hot tubs, can enter your eyes when you’re swimming and result in keratitis. However, even if you’re exposed to these organisms, a healthy cornea is unlikely to become infected unless there has been some previous breakdown of the corneal surface, for example, from wearing a contact lens too long.
Risk Factors
Factors that may increase your risk of keratitis include Contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses, especially sleeping in the lenses, increases your risk of both infectious and noninfectious keratitis. The risk typically stems from wearing them longer than recommended, improper disinfection, or wearing contact lenses while swimming. Keratitis is more common in people who use extended-wear contacts or wear contacts continuously than in those who use daily wear contacts and take them out at night. Reduced immunity. If your immune system is weakened due to disease or medications, you’re at higher risk of developing keratitis. Corticosteroids. Use of corticosteroid eye drops to treat an eye disorder can increase your risk of developing infectious keratitis or make existing keratitis worse. Eye injury. If one of your corneas has been damaged from an injury in the past, you may be more vulnerable to developing keratitis.
When to see a Doctor
If you notice any of the symptoms of keratitis, make an appointment to see an eye specialist right away. Delays in diagnosis and treatment of keratitis can lead to serious complications, including blindness.