Learning About Keratitis

A Miami optometrist sometimes comes across patients who are suffering from a vision problem known as keratitis. Keratitis is an ocular condition where the cornea, or the outermost layer of the eye, becomes inflamed due to damage or an infection. This condition can affect the way someone is able to see because it normally results in a clouding of the cornea. It’s crucial that people with keratitis be seen by their Miami Beach eye doctor as soon as possible because waiting to have this problem diagnosed and treated can result in complete blindness. However, there are several treatment options available for those suffering from keratitis– even if their condition has progressed to a critical state.

What Causes Keratitis?

There are a number of things that can cause someone to develop this condition. An eye doctor will tell you that these are the most common reasons someone develops an inflamed/swollen cornea:

● A bacterial infection.

● A fungal infection.

● A parasitic infection.

● Wearing contacts for longer than they are supposed to be worn. If you’re supposed to dispose of your contacts after two weeks, then you need to make sure that you follow proper contact care procedures exactly. Improper contact care can also cause people to develop keratitis.

● Injuries such as being scratched or hit in the eye. The damage can cause the cornea to become inflamed naturally, which is the body’s response to external damage.

● Although it’s the rarest cause of keratitis, Vitamin A deficiency can cause people to develop this condition.

How Do Doctors Treat People With Keratitis?

There are a few ways that an eye doctor in Miami Beach can treat keratitis in their patients. If the condition has just started and is not too severe, then antibacterial eye drops can be prescribed to fight off an infection and prevent the damage from becoming critical. Steroid eye drops can also be used to treat this condition, but the type of eye drop that gets prescribed depends on the cause of the condition in the first place. If the damage to the cornea is extensive, however, then a corneal transplant may be required. In most cases, a patient will need to see an eye doctor a few times in order to get their keratitis completely cured.

photo credit: pni An Eye via photopin (license)