Cornea Disorders & Other Anterior Segment Diseases

Conditions Affecting the Cornea

Our physicians diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases of the cornea, including:

Corneal Ulcer (Bacterial/Fungal Keratitis)

A corneal ulcer is an open sore on the cornea’s outer layer often caused by bacterial or fungal infection. Corneal ulcers can cause eye pain, redness, blurry or hazy vision, discharge and light sensitivity (photophobia).

Corneal Dystrophies

Corneal dystrophies are rare genetic eye disorders in which abnormal material builds up in the cornea. Most corneal dystrophies affect both eyes. These disorders, which run in families and tend to progress slowly, include Fuchs’ dystrophy and keratoconus.

Fuchs’ Dystrophy

Fuchs’ dystrophy is an inherited condition where fluid accumulates in the cornea, making it thicken and swell, which can cause people to experience glare, halos, blurred or cloudy vision, and eye discomfort.

Ocular Herpes (Herpetic Eye Disease)

Ocular herpes (also called herpetic eye disease or HSV keratitis) is a common eye infection usually caused by type 1 herpes simplex virus. Ocular herpes tends to infect the cornea, causing redness, inflammation and tearing. In rare cases, the disease can cause vision loss. Repeated flareups of ocular herpes can scar the cornea over time.

Ocular Shingles (Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus)

Varicella-zoster virus – the same virus that causes chickenpox – can return decades later to cause shingles (a viral infection that causes a rash) that can affect the cornea. Ocular shingles can cause inflammation in the front or back of the eye and lead to glaucoma.

Keratoconus

Keratoconus is an eye disorder in which the cornea thins and bulges outward in a cone shape, causing blurred vision and sometimes sensitivity to light and glare.

Neurotrophic Keratitis

Also called neurotrophic keratopathy, neurotrophic keratitis (NK) is a rare degenerative disease of the cornea where damage to the corneal nerves leads to the breakdown of the cornea. If not treated, NK can cause a corneal ulcer (an open sore in the cornea), scarring and loss of vision.

Pterygium (Surfer's Eye)

A pterygium is a raised, wedge-shaped growth that forms on the conjunctiva (the clear membrane that covers the inner surface of the eyelid and the white part of the eye) and extends into the cornea. Pterygia can potentially grow large enough to cause eye irritation, redness, sensation of a foreign object in the eye, and decreased or distorted vision. When the growth affects the conjunctiva but does not extend into the cornea, the condition is called a pinguecula.

Recurrent Corneal Erosion

Recurrent corneal erosion (RCE) is a common condition in which the outer layer of the cornea separates and pulls away from underlying layers. RCE can lead to sudden eye pain, blurred vision, tearing and photophobia (light sensitivity), with symptoms often occurring when you first wake up.