What are the causes of corneal clouding?
The most common causes of corneal opacity are swelling (edema) or scars on/on the cornea. Corneal scars are often visible as white clouding on the eye. They can occur after deep corneal injuries, deep corneal inflammation (usually caused by herpes viruses), after corneal ulcers, in advanced keratoconus or in rare cases as a hereditary metabolic disorder (stromal corneal dystrophy).
A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, resulting in a reduction in visual acuity. The most effective treatment of cataract is a surgical procedure in which the lens is removed and replaced by an artificial lens. Usually cataract surgery is associated with low risks, but rarely there may be a clouding of the cornea, among other things.Injuries during surgery, inflammation or mechanical influences can cause scarring and clouding of the corneal layers.
In most cases, however, these disappear on their own. Contact lens wearers belong to the risk group for the occurrence of corneal opacities. The constant mechanical manipulation of the cornea by the contact lens can lead to scarring changes.
In addition, contact lens wearers have an increased risk of corneal inflammation, especially if hygiene is poor and the lenses are changed too rarely. The inflammation can also promote the appearance of corneal clouding. For this reason, contact lens wearers should have regular check-ups with their optician.
Course of corneal clouding
Corneal opacities are usually recognized by the patient at a very late stage, which is why they are often diagnosed at an advanced stage. In patients, they are often first noticed with reduced visual acuity and increased sensitivity to glare. If the cornea is severely clouded, without treatment it can lead to progressive clouding and ultimately to blindness.
In order to be able to start treatment at an early stage, it is therefore advisable to consult an ophthalmologist at an early stage if you have visual problems. If corneal opacity is a side effect of a surgical intervention or injury, it usually heals on its own. The following articles may also be of interest to you: Corneal transplantation, blindness
- In early stages, laser therapy can prevent progression and lead to healing.
- In more advanced stages, corneal transplantation can help maintain long-term vision.
However, both the laser treatment and the surgical therapy carry their own risks and there may be renewed clouding.
In most cases the donor cornea heals without any problems and keeps its clear condition. Often the vision after the procedure is much better than before, or at least an imminent progressive deterioration can be prevented. However, in about 10% of corneal transplants, there are incompatibility reactions, which can lead to a severe clouding of the donor cornea.
If such rejection reactions occur, another corneal transplant should be performed. To prevent such reactions, cortisone containing medication is given as eye drops after the operation. Nearby structures can be damaged by the operation and allergic reactions cannot be ruled out.
Bleedings/after-bleedings are rarely possible. Inflammations, healing disorders and excessive scarring may occur in individual cases. Also, renewed clouding has been observed, so that a re-operation has been necessary.
Rarely, retinal damage can also develop and in the case of particularly severe complications, blindness or loss of the affected eye is possible. Often, a corneal transplantation is followed by ametropia. In most cases, a corneal clouding heals independently.
In the case of progressive clouding, laser therapy can lead to healing in the early stages. In more advanced stages, corneal transplantation can help to prevent blindness.
