KERATITIS

What is Keratitis?

Keratitis is a condition in which the cornea- the dome shaped window in the front of eye covering the iris and pupil gets inflamed. It makes the eye red and painful, thereby, affecting vision.

What causes Keratitis?

There are many potential causes for Keratitis:

• Injury
• Contaminated contact lens
• Bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections
• Contaminated water

What are the symptoms of Keratitis?

The various symptoms of Keratitis include:

• Pain and redness in eyes
• Sensation of foreign object in eye
• Watery eyes
• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Not able to keep eyelids open

How can Keratitis be treated?

The treatment plan for Keratitis depends on the underlying cause:

• If it is caused by Noninfectious Keratitis, like via scratch or contact lens then you may not require any treatment at all. In case of pain & teary eyes, your doctor may give you prescribed medicine to apply on the eye.
• If it is Bacterial Keratitis, you may be give antibacterial eye drops and oral antibiotics.
• For Fungal Keratitis, you may be given antifungal eye drops and oral antifungal medication.
• For Viral Keratitis, your doctor may give you antiviral eye drops and antiviral oral medicines.
• For AcanthamoebaKeratitis caused by small parasite acanthamoeba, antibiotic eye drops may be helpful. In case, medication doesn’t affect or cornea is damaged, then cornea transplant may be done.