2. Overview
• Keratitis is the medical name for inflammation of the cornea, the
clear window that covers the iris and the pupil in your eye. Keratitis
may cause a corneal ulcer. Keratitis is a common condition that can
be treated. However, outside of the U.S. and other developed
countries, infectious keratitis is a significant cause of blindness.
Some of the infections that cause keratitis can be transferred from
person to person by touching contaminated items, coughs or
sneezes.
3. Signs and symptoms
• Signs and symptoms of keratitis include:
• Eye pain.
• Watery eyes.
• Red, irritated and bloodshot eyes.
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia).
• Blurry vision.
• Problems opening your eyelid.
• Feeling like something is in your eye.
4. What causes infectious keratitis
• Causes of infectious keratitis include:
• Bacterial keratitis: This type, caused by bacteria, is the most
common.
• Fungal keratitis: This type is caused by fungi, often from plants.
• Parasitic keratitis: Parasites are organisms that live off another
organism. Acanthamoeba keratitis is caused by a one-celled
parasite called an amoeba.
• Viral keratitis: Viruses like the ones that cause shingles and herpes
simplex can cause keratitis. Herpes simplex keratitis
5. Causes of non infectious
• Causes of noninfectious keratitis include:
• Injuring your eye. (This includes having eye surgery, being in an
accident and having a condition where your eyelashes scrape
against the surface of your eye.)
• Wearing contact lenses for too long.
• Having a foreign object in your eye.
• Being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light for too long.
• Having a vitamin A deficiency.
• Having an eyelid disorder or immune system condition that causes
dry eyes.
6. • Diagnosis
• Diagnosing keratitis typically involves the following:
• Eye exam. Although it may be uncomfortable to open your eyes
for the exam, it's important to have your eye care provider
examine your eyes.
• Penlight exam. Your eye doctor may examine your eye using a
penlight, to check your pupil's reaction, size and other factors. A
stain may be applied to the surface of your eye. Used with the
light, this stain makes it easier to see damage to the surface of
the cornea.
7. • Slit-lamp exam. Your eye care provider will examine your eyes
with a special instrument called a slit lamp. It provides a bright
source of light and magnification to detect the character and
extent of keratitis, as well as the effect it may have on other
structures of the eye.
• Laboratory analysis. Your eye care provider may take a
sample of tears or some cells from your cornea for laboratory
analysis to determine the cause of keratitis and to help develop
a treatment plan for you.
8. Treatment.
• Noninfectious keratitis
• Treatment of noninfectious keratitis varies depending on the
severity. For example, with mild discomfort from a corneal
scratch, artificial tear drops may be the only treatment.
However, if keratitis is causing significant tearing and pain,
topical eye medications may be necessary.
9. Treatment of infectious
• Infectious keratitis
• Treatment of infectious keratitis varies, depending on the cause
of the infection.
• Bacterial keratitis. Antibiotic eye drops are the primary
treatment for bacterial keratitis. Depending on the severity of
the infection, drop frequency can range from around four times
a day to every 30 minutes, even during the night. Sometimes
oral antibiotics are used as a supplement.
• Fungal keratitis. Keratitis caused by fungi typically requires
antifungal eye drops and oral antifungal medication.
10. Laboratory Test
• Bacterial keratitis is commonly associated with risk factors that
disturb the corneal epithelial integrity. A meticulous slit lamp clinical
examination, corneal scraping with smearing, and culture are
mandated to reach a conclusive diagnosis.
11. • Fluorescein stain of the cornea: We use eye drops with dye to
highlight any damage to your cornea, then examine it with a special
microscope called a slit lamp to see whether the damage is an ulcer.
12.
13. Surgical treatment
• Penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) is the most common procedure done
for infectious keratitis. (37) The goal of the surgery is to removal all
the infected corneal tissue and replace it with healthy cornea.
