What is the cornea?
The cornea is the transparent, glass-like tissue that protects your eye while also allowing light to reach your pupil, lens, and retina. Among the most common problems to affect this part of your eye are infections, physical trauma, chemical exposure, dystrophies and degenerative disorders, and auto-immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. The following list includes the most common cornea problems seen at the Emory Eye Center, but our clinicians are trained to identify and address the full spectrum of disorders.
What is kerataconus?
The American Optometric Association defines kerataconus is a vision disorder that occurs when the normally round cornea (the front part of the eye) becomes thin and irregular (cone) shaped. This abnormal shape prevents the light entering the eye from being focused correctly on the retina and causes distortion of vision. It is not painful, but it should be monitored.
What are the medical or surgical treatments for kerataconus?
Many milder cases of keratoconus can be treated with glasses or specialized contact lenses that correct the vision. Progressive cases of keratoconus can be treated with corneal cross-linking, a relatively new treatment in the United States using ultraviolet light and riboflavin, that can prevent further warpage of the cornea. Corneal transplantation, either partial or full thickness, can be performed for cases that fail to respond to these measures. Source Eye Wiki, American Academy of Ophthalmology
What is Fuchs dystrophy?
This is an inherited condition wherein a build-up of fluid causes corneal thickening due to failure of the cells that pump fluid out of the cornea. Patients may experience blurred vision, sensitivity to bright lights, halos, the sensation of dirt or grit in their eyes, and, sometimes, sharp pain.
What are the possible treatments for Fuchs dystrophy?
Medical treatment of Fuch’s dystrophy consists of using concentrated saline eye drops and ointment that reduce the swelling in the cornea and improve vision. Surgical treatment of patients who fail medical therapy consists of replacing the cells that pump fluid out of the cornea, a procedure called endothelial transplantation. Source Eye Wiki, American Academy of Ophthalmology