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Images of corneal abrasion. Corneal Abrasion Condition, Treatments and Pictures for Adults

by alexxlab

What are the causes of corneal abrasion? What are the signs and symptoms of corneal abrasion? How can corneal abrasion be treated? What are the precautions to prevent corneal abrasion?

Who’s At Risk for Corneal Abrasion?

Corneal abrasions are fairly common. Those who wear contact lenses or work in dusty, dirty, windy, or debris-laden areas are more likely to get a corneal abrasion.

Signs and Symptoms of Corneal Abrasion

Although it is very difficult to see a corneal abrasion with the naked eye, you have to be suspicious of this if you have experienced any of the causes of trauma mentioned above. Along with that is the unrelenting painful feeling that something is in your eye that just won’t wash out, plus:

  • Lots of watery tearing.
  • Sensitivity to light (especially bright light).
  • Blurry vision.
  • Redness of the eye.
  • Spasm of the muscles surrounding the eye resulting in squinting.

Self-Care Guidelines for Corneal Abrasion

Most simple corneal abrasions will heal on their own within a day or two at most. Other things that help include:

  • Keeping the eye shut.
  • Never rubbing the injured eye.
  • Immediately removing a contact lens. Contact lens wearers should always have a back-up pair of glasses for when contact lenses shouldn’t be worn.
  • Using artificial tears to bathe the eye.
  • Using clean water to rinse the eye and wash out suspect foreign matter.
  • Using sunglasses to reduce light sensitivity.

There are precautions that you can take to prevent getting a corneal abrasion. These include:

  • Wearing protective eyewear for all conditions that might result in a corneal abrasion, such as working around the garden, working on grinding machines, etc.
  • Being extra careful when using makeup brushes and curling irons.
  • Taking excellent care of and using excellent hygiene with contact lenses.
  • Never sleeping in contact lenses, regardless of manufacture notes.

Note: If the corneal abrasion heals and then suddenly recurs days later, this may be a sign of recurrent erosion, which requires specific medical care by an eye care professional. Use of topical anesthetic solutions is only for purposes of diagnosis. Using these drops more than once or twice is dangerous because it slows healing and could lead to more serious conditions.

Treatments for Corneal Abrasion

After assurance that there is nothing more serious than an abrasion, your doctor will check for any foreign objects and, if needed, clean the area. Numbing eye drops or oral pain medication may be given. Topical antibiotics also may be used. Patching is no longer recommended because it could delay healing. If there is an underlying basis for the abrasion, care for this is needed to prevent recurrence. If the abrasion was contact-lens–related, you may be required to be reevaluated regarding your contact lenses as to fit and type. If the problem is recurrent erosion, your doctor will begin specific treatment for that condition.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Corneal Abrasion

You should seek medical attention for a corneal abrasion if you experience any of the following:

  • Persistent pain beyond the first day or pain that is increasing despite self-care.
  • You suspect that a piece of metal, wood, or plant material hit the eye with high speed and may have penetrated the eye, not just irritated it.
  • Any abrasion caused by chemicals, heat burn, makeup brushes, or plant materials.
  • You suspect that a foreign object really is stuck in your eye.
  • Recurrence of the pain and other symptoms days after the initial injury.
  • Mucoid or pus-like discharge.
  • No improvement with self-care after 24 hours.
  • Progressive vision loss.

Trusted Links for More Information

Corneal abrasions are a common eye injury, but with proper care and precautions, they can be easily managed. If you experience any of the concerning symptoms or signs, it’s important to seek medical attention to prevent further complications. Remember, your eye health is crucial, so don’t hesitate to consult an eye care professional if you have any concerns.

Corneal Abrasion Condition, Treatments and Pictures for Adults

Who’s At Risk?

Corneal abrasions are fairly common. Those who wear contact lenses or work in dusty, dirty, windy, or debris-laden areas are more likely to get a corneal abrasion.

Signs & Symptoms

Although it is very difficult to see a corneal abrasion with the naked eye, you have to be suspicious of this if you have experienced any of the causes of trauma mentioned above. Along with that is the unrelenting painful feeling that something is in your eye that just won’t wash out, plus:

  • Lots of watery tearing.
  • Sensitivity to light (especially bright light).
  • Blurry vision.
  • Redness of the eye.
  • Spasm of the muscles surrounding the eye resulting in squinting.

Self-Care Guidelines

Most simple corneal abrasions will heal on their own within a day or two at most. Other things that help include:

  • Keeping the eye shut.
  • Never rubbing the injured eye.
  • Immediately removing a contact lens. Contact lens wearers should always have a back-up pair of glasses for when contact lenses shouldn’t be worn.
  • Using artificial tears to bathe the eye.
  • Using clean water to rinse the eye and wash out suspect foreign matter.
  • Using sunglasses to reduce light sensitivity.

There are precautions that you can take to prevent getting a corneal abrasion. These include:

  • Wearing protective eyewear for all conditions that might result in a corneal abrasion, such as working around the garden, working on grinding machines, etc.
  • Being extra careful when using makeup brushes and curling irons.
  • Taking excellent care of and using excellent hygiene with contact lenses.
  • Never sleeping in contact lenses, regardless of manufacture notes.

Note:
If the corneal abrasion heals and then suddenly recurs days later, this may be a sign of recurrent erosion, which requires specific medical care by an eye care professional. Use of topical anesthetic solutions is only for purposes of diagnosis. Using these drops more than once or twice is dangerous because it slows healing and could lead to more serious conditions.

Treatments

After assurance that there is nothing more serious than an abrasion, your doctor will check for any foreign objects and, if needed, clean the area. Numbing eye drops or oral pain medication may be given. Topical antibiotics also may be used. Patching is no longer recommended because it could delay healing. If there is an underlying basis for the abrasion, care for this is needed to prevent recurrence. If the abrasion was contact-lens–related, you may be required to be reevaluated regarding your contact lenses as to fit and type. If the problem is recurrent erosion, your doctor will begin specific treatment for that condition.

Visit Urgency

  • Persistent pain beyond the first day or pain that is increasing despite self-care.
  • You suspect that a piece of metal, wood, or plant material hit the eye with high speed and may have penetrated the eye, not just irritated it.
  • Any abrasion caused by chemicals, heat burn, makeup brushes, or plant materials.
  • You suspect that a foreign object really is stuck in your eye.
  • Recurrence of the pain and other symptoms days after the initial injury.
  • Mucoid or pus-like discharge.
  • No improvement with self-care after 24 hours.
  • Progressive vision loss.

Trusted Links

  • MedlinePlus: Corneal Disorders
  • MedlinePlus: Eye Injuries
  • Clinical Information and Differential Diagnosis of Corneal Abrasion

References

Yanoff M, Duker JS, eds. Ophthalmology. 2nd ed, pp. 415-416. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 2004.

Disease Groups:
Common Eye Problems

Last modified on October 10th, 2022 at 3:38 pm

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Corneal erosion – symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

  • Symptoms
  • Treatment of corneal erosion
  • What is recurrent corneal erosion
  • Symptoms of recurrent corneal erosion
  • Treatment

Corneal erosion is a lesion of the cornea accompanied by loss of the epithelial layer.

Most often, corneal erosion occurs with mechanical damage, chemical and radiation exposure. With erosion of the cornea, rejection or exfoliation of the epithelium in a limited area or on the entire surface of the cornea can be observed. Less common is spontaneous rejection of the epithelium, which is called recurrent erosion.

Symptoms:

  • severe photophobia
  • lacrimation
  • blepharospasm
  • sensation in the eye of a foreign body
  • redness of the eyeball
  • decreased visual acuity
  • eye pain

Treatment of corneal erosion

In the event of corneal erosion, as a rule, drugs are prescribed that restore the corneal epithelium, the so-called keratoprotectors, in the form of eye drops and ointments that moisturize the surface of the cornea. Drops are prescribed during the day, and ointment at night, as it has a longer effect.

To prevent infection, an antibacterial drug is prescribed in the form of drops or ointment. After the restoration of the corneal epithelium, and this happens depending on the extent of the defect from 5 to 15 days, drops based on natural tears are prescribed for a long time to prevent the occurrence of recurrent corneal erosion.

Sometimes, as a prevention of rejection of the newly formed epithelium, a soft contact lens is temporarily installed on the affected cornea.

With relapses and ineffectiveness of conservative treatment, phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) can be performed. This operation is similar to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) performed for diseases such as myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia. This technique is performed using an excimer laser to remove the corneal epithelium and influence the Bowman’s membrane to stimulate normal healing.

What is recurrent corneal erosion

Recurrent corneal erosion is a recurring damage to the epithelium, observed when there is a violation in the basement membrane of the epithelial layer of the cornea.

The cornea of ​​the human eye consists of five layers. The outermost layer is called the corneal epithelium, it consists of 5-6 layers of cells, performs a protective function and recovers quite well when damaged. The epithelium is located on the basement membrane, which regulates the restoration of the epithelium and its structure. Below it is Bowman’s membrane – a dense tissue that serves as a support for the epithelium. Deeper than it lies the stroma, which makes up most of the volume of the cornea, which consists of special cells – keratocytes, arranged in a strict order, which ensures the transparency of the cornea. The stroma behind is adjacent to the most durable tissue of the cornea – Descemet’s membrane – a dense membrane that performs a protective function. The last layer, the endothelium, is a layer of one row of cells that act as a pump that controls the exchange of fluid and nutrients between the cornea and the moisture of the anterior chamber of the eye.

Recurrent corneal erosion occurs, as a rule, after trauma to the surface layer of the cornea, that is, corneal erosion, in which the basement membrane of the epithelial layer is damaged. Then, gradually, this defect overgrows and is covered by the epithelium, but since the basement membrane still has an impaired function, erosion also recurs in the future.

In addition, recurrent erosion may occur as a result of a degenerative process in the cornea of ​​the eye.

Symptoms:

  • Pain syndrome
  • Redness of the eye
  • Lachrymation
  • Photophobia
  • Decreased visual acuity

Treatment

To restore the epithelial layer of the cornea, artificial tear preparations, regenerating gels and ointments are prescribed. Artificial tear preparations and moisturizing drops are prescribed to this group of patients for a long time in order to reduce the likelihood of relapse.

With frequent relapses and ineffective treatment, improvement can be obtained by phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK). This operation is performed using an excimer laser to remove the corneal epithelium and expose the Bowman’s membrane to promote normal healing.

Erosion of the cornea of ​​the eye: causes, symptoms, treatment

The cornea of ​​the eye assumes the main protective function of the organs of vision and often does not withstand the effects of external factors. Its superficial damage is known in ophthalmology as corneal erosion. The disease is accompanied by focal desquamation of the epithelium – the stratum corneum, which protects the internal structures of the eyes from the aggressive influence of the environment. The resulting sore becomes a “gateway” for infections that can go to the vitreous body, lens and fundus. If left untreated, erosion can lead to irreversible loss of vision.

The structure of the cornea of ​​the eye

The outer shell of the eye or the cornea is a multilayer lens that acts as a screen that protects the organs of vision from mechanical, chemical and thermal influences, and is also the main optical refractive lens. It consists of five layers:

  1. Superficial or epithelial – consists of several rows of epithelial cells that are capable of rapidly dividing.
  2. Bowman’s membrane is the supporting layer that supports the outer epithelium. It has fewer rows of cells, but they are denser.
  3. Stroma is the thickest part of the cornea, composed of keratocytes, providing transparency of the eye membrane.
  4. Layer of Desmecetes — corneal framework consisting of epithelium. The toughest and most durable layer. The inner layer – the endothelium, adjacent to the surface of the anterior chamber of the eye, consists of a modified epithelium. It provides metabolic processes between the internal environment of the organs of vision and the outer layers of the cornea.

The disease is characterized by damage to only the outer epithelial layer. However, in some cases, the pathological process affects the deep layers of the membrane, provoking its clouding and infection of the anterior chamber of the eyeball.

Main causes of erosion

Erosion of the outer layer of the cornea can occur against the background of infectious or non-infectious processes. The causes of infection are:

  • infection of the membrane of the eye with herpes virus;
  • contamination with fungi;
  • chlamydia eye;
  • bacterial conjunctivitis provoked by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, streptococcus, staphylococcus.

Non-infectious erosion of the cornea is caused by its dystrophy, which develops against the background of a lack of local immunity, traumatic injury. The most common causes of non-infectious forms of the disease are:

  • violations of the rules for wearing contact lenses;
  • dry eye syndrome;
  • foreign objects or chemicals in the eye;
  • damage to the cornea during eye surgery;
  • eye injuries.

Also, the pathology occurs due to autoimmune diseases, hormonal and endocrine disorders: atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, etc. Against the background of these diseases, a recurrent, that is, a recurring pathology, often develops.

Important! Non-infectious and traumatic corneal erosion can be complicated by infection. Since both types require specific therapy, when diagnosing a running process, it is important for a doctor to establish the true causes of the disease.

Symptoms

Clinical manifestations of erosive damage to the cornea are specific, so a preliminary diagnosis can be made already at the stage of patient questioning. The first sign of pathology is acute, sometimes unbearable pain in one eye. It feels like a sharp foreign object or sand getting into the eye. 1-2 days after the onset of the destruction of the cornea, reactive lacrimation occurs, swelling of the eyelids appears, in 80% of cases, patients experience blepharospasm: the inability to open the eye and blink normally.

For infectious erosion, the presence of additional symptoms is characteristic:

  • redness and swelling of the mucous membranes of the eye from the first day of the disease;
  • discharge from the eye of pus;
  • photophobia (increased discomfort when trying to look at a light source).

If the bacteria managed to damage the central part of the cornea, there is a noticeable decrease in visual acuity.

With a recurrent form of corneal erosion, scar tissue forms on the shell, which almost do not transmit light. In addition, erosion in this form of the disease develops into ulcers – deeper foci of corneal dystrophy. In severe cases, they can reach the anterior chamber of the eye and serve as a gateway for infections. This form of the disease most often ends in loss of vision.

Diagnosis

Detailed imaging techniques are used to diagnose erosive damage to the cornea. Eye examination using special tools helps to determine the cause of the ailment:

  • detect foreign objects in the conjunctival sac;
  • see tumor changes in the mucous membranes;
  • to visualize exudate in infectious eye diseases.

After a simple visual examination, an eye biomicroscopy is performed – a detailed examination of the cornea using a special optical device. The procedure helps to visualize erosion, determine its size and the degree of penetration into the cornea.

Good to know! If the doctor sees external signs of erosion, but cannot detect the pathological focus due to its small size, he uses fluorescein, a special dye that “highlights” even microscopic lesions on the cornea of ​​​​the eyes.

To identify the causes of the disease, additional studies are used:

  • diaphanoscopy or measurement of intraocular pressure;
  • ophthalmoscopy and ultrasound diagnostics to detect intraocular pathologies;
  • bacteriological and cytological analyzes of smear from the conjunctiva.

Patients who wear contact lenses will have to have them checked under a microscope. The fact is that they can have microscopic cracks and roughness that can damage the cornea. Based on the data obtained during the diagnostic process, the doctor prescribes treatment.

Methods of treatment

The first step in the treatment of erosion on the cornea of ​​non-infectious origin is the quenching of the defect with a solution of brilliant green or iodine. This prevents the further spread of the destructive process in depth and breadth. With the rapid development of the degenerative process, the doctor can apply laser coagulation of the erosion boundaries.

After cleansing the pathological focus, erosion treatment is continued with the use of physiotherapy:

  • ultraphonophoresis – introduction of medicinal solutions into the cornea by means of ultrasonic waves;
  • electrophoresis – administration of medicines by means of electric waves;
  • magnetotherapy — impact on the eye tissues with a magnetic field.

To accelerate the healing of erosion, keratoprotectors are used – agents that accelerate the regeneration of the epithelial layer of the eye shell. These include drugs “Kerakol”, “Visitil”, “Dacrolux”. They contain hypromellose and organic compounds similar to it, which form a thin film on the surface of the cornea and protect against external influences. In addition, keratoprotectors include compounds that stimulate tissue regeneration and restore blood supply to the organs of vision.

To reduce symptoms, protect the surface of the eye from friction, and eliminate irritation, moisturizing eye drops are used: Systeine ​​Ultra, Vizin, Oftagel and their analogues.

If conservative therapy cannot contain the spread of erosion or the defect rapidly deepens and spreads in breadth, keratoplasty is used – microsurgical restoration of the cornea.

In case of infectious erosion, in addition to the listed drugs, drugs are used that correspond to the identified pathogen: antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral or antiparasitic agents. To weaken the inflammatory process, which necessarily accompanies infectious erosion, apply:

  • antihistamines;
  • immunomodulators;
  • anti-inflammatory drugs.

They are used in the form of ointments, eye drops (instillations), intraocular (parabulbar) injections. The duration of their use depends on the severity of the pathological process.

The erosion of the cornea heals within a few weeks. In its place, scar tissue can form, causing visual impairment. If over time it is not replaced by healthy tissues, a microsurgical operation is performed – laser ablation. An ophthalmologist removes the superficial layers of the cornea, after which healthy tissue is formed in their place.

During the treatment of erosion on the cornea, it is not recommended to use local anesthetics and analgesics. They interfere with healing and can cause thinning of the cornea.

Possible complications and prognosis

With timely detection and adequate treatment, erosion disappears without a trace in 2-4 weeks. Reappearance of the defect or scarring with proper therapy is unlikely.

Delayed diagnosis and treatment are fraught with numerous complications:

  1. Corneal neovascularization – the formation of additional vessels penetrating the cornea, which reduce visual acuity.