Types

  Inflammation of the cornea may result from many things:

Pathogens

• Amoebic keratitis. Amoebic infection of the cornea is the most serious corneal infection, usually affecting soft contact lens wearers
• Bacterial keratitis. Bacterial infection of the cornea can follow from an injury or from wearing contact lenses
• Fungal keratitis (cf. Fusarium, causing recent incidences of keratitis through the possible vector of Bausch & Lomb ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution)
• Viral keratitis
   • Herpes simplex keratitis. Viral infection of the cornea is often caused by the herpes simplex virus which frequently leaves what is called a 'dendritic ulcer'
   • Herpes zoster keratitis

Other

• Exposure keratitis
• Photokeratitis - keratitis due to intense ultraviolet radiation exposure (e.g. snow blindness or welder's arc eye.)
• Ulcerative keratitis
• Contact lens acute red eye (CLARE) - a non-ulcerative sterile keratitis associated with colonization of Gram-negative bacteria on contact lenses

Symptoms

  The symptoms are often very similar to those of conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the conjunctiva. The eye turns very red and there may be sensitivity to light, and the eye may feel uncomfortable. In the later stages of more severe cases, there can be strong pain, loss of vision/blurriness, and pus may form.

Diagnosis

  Effective diagnosis is important in detecting this condition and subsequent treatment as keratitis is sometimes mistaken for an allergic conjunctivitis.

Treatment

  Treatment depends on the cause of the keratitis. Usually, bacterial keratitis is treated with antibiotic eye drops.