Cloudy cornea
Definition
A cloudy cornea is a loss of transparency of the cornea.
Alternative Names
Corneal opacification; Corneal edemaCauses
The cornea is normally a nearly invisible, transparent structure covering the iris of the eye. Its two purposes are to transmit and focus the light entering the eye.
Causes of clouding of the cornea include:
- Alkali and other chemical burns to the cornea
- Herpetic keratoconjunctivitis (a form of conjunctivitis caused by herpes simplex)
- Infectious diseases
- Poor nutrition
- River blindness (onchocerciasis - an infection common in parts of Africa)
- Several rare inherited diseases involving abnormal metabolism
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Trachoma
- Trauma
- Vitamin A deficiency
Clouding leads to varying degrees of visual loss.
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