Good eyesight is a true gift of nature. But to appreciate this usually begin after any problems with the eyes. No one thinks about the possible negative consequences for vision due to injury to the cornea. Even where eye protection is provided for by safety and is mandatory, the instructions are often violated and damage to the organs of vision occurs as a result. The cornea of the eye is a very vulnerable area. Her injury is fraught with various problems with the organ of vision. And there are plenty of opportunities to injure the cornea - even an ordinary wind can bring a foreign body into the eye that will cause eye disease, or uncomfortable contact lenses that can also harm the cornea. In this article, we will consider what corneal damage is (a photo of the injury is presented in the article), and how it can be cured.
Cornea - Functions
The cornea is the anterior region of the ocular sclera, which is endowed with a high refractive index. This transparent film is in an open space and therefore is most often subjected to various damage. Any damage to the ocular cornea requires an immediate response, since it is very difficult to judge the severity of the injury by external signs, and delay in treatment can cost a violation of the visual functions of the eye.
The cornea consists of collagen fibers and a transparent matrix, which are covered with stratified epithelium. This protective hemisphere with a diameter of 10 mm separates the anterior ophthalmic chamber from external influences. An interesting feature: the cornea in the central part of the hemisphere, the most prone to external attacks, is two times thinner than at the edges. Therefore, the eyes should be very protected from foreign bodies that cause damage to the cornea precisely in these potentially weak places.
The functional purpose of the cornea is the refraction of light with a power of 40 diopters and keeping the eyes in good shape. If the cornea is injured, it will not be able to perform its functions in full. And this can cause visual damage to the eye.
Causes
The reasons why corneal damage can occur are different, there are many, but you should be aware of them. These include:
- mechanical trauma to a foreign body;
- infectious disorders;
- metabolic disease;
- drying of the cornea;
- collagen birth defect;
- strong ultraviolet or radioactive cure;
- mechanical clogging: dust, midges, specks, etc .;
- chemical and thermal agents.
Signs of ailment
Symptoms indicating that corneal damage has occurred are expressed in profuse lacrimation, redness of the injury site, photophobia, reflex closing of the eyelids - blepharospasm. In addition, can be observed:
- defects in the epithelium layer;
- conjunctival vasodilation;
- a feeling of sand;
- eye pains and headaches;
- redness of the eyelids.
The depth and degree of penetration of a foreign body or wound damage can be different. According to the severity of the injury, erosion and corneal ulcer are distinguished. With trauma, the integrity of the eye structure and its functional abilities are violated. Injury can be caused by a solid hit or dust or chemicals entering the mucous membrane of the eye. In case of injury, timely treatment of corneal damage is very important.
What is forbidden to do?
Eye damage can be very dangerous. This organ is so easily vulnerable that any injury can be fatal if measures for diagnosis and treatment are not taken in time. Timely treatment of corneal damage significantly reduces the risk of serious consequences. It also increases the chance of a full recovery. If an eye injury occurs, it is forbidden to do the following things:
- rub your eyes with your hands - with this action you can drive a foreign body deeper into the cornea or damage it by friction, and there is also a high risk of introducing the infection into the resulting wound;
- try to remove a foreign object before going to the doctor - the existing damage can be aggravated;
- engage in the processing and disinfection of the resulting wound, with the exception of chemicals, in which the first thing to do is to carefully rinse your eyes with plenty of running water;
- Do not treat the cornea with cotton wool, as its particles can remain on the mucosa and penetrate the resulting damage.
When performing eye manipulations, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap in the most thorough way.
Diagnostics
Before starting treatment, damage to the cornea of the eye requires a visual inspection of the injury. This should be done by a qualified ophthalmologist who can determine the nature of the damage and its severity. To do this, he needs to open and raise his eyelids in order to examine the entire area of the cornea for dirt or sand, as well as other foreign matter. To carry out such a manipulation, special drops will help easily and painlessly.
When cornea is damaged, many ophthalmologists use fluorescein for this purpose, which helps to better see foreign blotches on the cornea. They last only a few seconds, during which an experienced doctor is able to see a clear picture of the injuries received. If there is damage to the cornea in a child, then these drops cannot be dispensed with. Especially if this child belongs to a younger age group.
In case of corneal damage, a course of antibiotic treatment is carried out in order to prevent the development of infections and the appearance of secondary infectious diseases. At the treatment stage, antibiotics are usually used in the form of drops and ointments, but in especially difficult cases, when there is a danger of infection by the infection, and after the end of the treatment procedures, the doctor may prescribe a course of antibacterial therapy in the form of tablets. In this case, it is important that the patient knows how to drink antibiotics. Let us further consider what types of damage are caused by external influences and what the patient needs to do in this or that case.
Erosion
Erosion is a mild degree of damage when it is shallow and more superficial. The treatment is performed on an outpatient basis, local anesthetics such as Lidocaine or Dikain are instilled into the patient’s eyes, healing ointments containing antibiotics are applied, and drops based on hyaluronic acid and a natural tear are prescribed. Ointments for corneal damage are the Actovegin or Solcoseryl ophthalmic gel, they are prescribed most often. Corneal erosion epithelizes quite quickly and does not carry any complications.
Corneal wounds are considered complex injuries, especially with the penetrating nature of the wounds, they are treated permanently using techniques designed for use in eye microsurgery. At the same time, antibiotic therapy, systemic enzyme treatment and healing drops are prescribed. If you do not contact a doctor with a penetrating wound, very serious consequences of corneal damage can occur.
Burns
Burns can be thermal and chemical, treat them through the use of microsurgery, namely the excision of the damaged layer of the cornea. In addition, a course of healing treatment with drops and ointments is carried out, as well as antibacterial, enzyme and anti-inflammatory therapy. If the burn is chemical, then you must first remove the substance that resulted in a corneal injury. To do this, you need to bend your head to one side and hold for about half an hour under an intense stream of water. But if the burn is caused by lime, it is forbidden to remove it with water, since under the influence of water heat is released in it, which can aggravate the degree of damage to the cornea. First you need to carefully remove the lime with a napkin, and then start washing with water.
When burned with ultraviolet light, you need to darken the room, since the patient is very responsive to bright light, put an antibacterial ointment under the eyelid, for example, Tetracycline (1%). By the century, you need to apply something cold and provide the patient with an analgesic ("Analgin" or "Nurofen").
Foreign body. What to do?
A foreign body is removed from the surface of the cornea with a cotton swab. In case of deep penetration, remove it with special ophthalmic instruments. If these foreign bodies are made of plastic or glass, they are not pulled out of the wound, they themselves after a while move to the surface and then they can be easily removed. Corneal healing is performed using drops: Emoxipin, Taurine, hyaluronic acid, Natural Tear, and antibiotic ointments, and you can also inject these substances around the eyeball.
In some cases, corneal damage can be caused by lenses.
Contact lenses can cause injury to the cornea in such cases:
- if it gets under the lens of a foreign body - mechanical rubbing;
- with allergies to the components that make up lens care products;
- in case of violation of the lens hygiene rules - conjunctivitis and other infectious diseases appear;
- with a violation of the supply of oxygen to the cornea, which entails edema and other hypoxic reactions.
How to use drugs?
When treating damage to the cornea of the eye, the main focus is first on getting rid of the object or factor that caused the injury and restoring the original functions of the eye. But also a large role is given to the prevention of infections. And when the doctor prescribes antibacterial pills, you need to remember how to take them correctly. First of all, patients and their relatives should be aware that only a qualified doctor with the appropriate qualifications can deal with the selection of the drug, dosage, regimen and duration of treatment.
In no case should you violate the prescribed dose and arbitrarily interrupt treatment. Both a deficiency and an excess of this powerful disinfectant can cause serious deviations in the functioning of internal organs and human systems. Antibiotics are taken strictly according to the scheme, and this must be done at the same time with constant intervals between doses. The minimum treatment period is 7 days, unless otherwise prescribed by a doctor. Sometimes the recovery period stretches to 2-3 weeks.
While taking antibiotics, it is forbidden to take alcohol and smoke, to eat smoked meats and other harmful products, the doctor will give separate recommendations regarding the diet. Antibiotics should be washed down with plenty of clean water. You can not go to the beach and to the solarium, dye your hair and do chemical types of perm. Be sure to drink probiotics prescribed by your doctor with the antibiotic to restore intestinal microflora.
What are the consequences of an injury?
If you do not pay attention to eye injury in a timely manner, serious consequences of damage to the cornea of the eye can occur. The likelihood of complications is very high. These include:
- prolapse of the lens;
- development of cataracts or secondary glaucoma;
- retinal detachment;
- thorn formation;
- manifestation of hemophthalmus, endophthalmos, panophthalmus.
The severity of the consequences directly depends on the degree of complexity of the injury and the timeliness of the medical care provided.
Serious complications after eye injury
In the case of unqualified treatment and poor-quality treatment of the affected area of the eye, the following complications are possible:
- sepsis - blood poisoning by infection pathogens, which threatens poisoning the body with toxic waste bacteria;
- decreased visual function of the eye and even complete loss of vision;
- eye loss;
- purulent abscess of the brain due to accumulation of pus in the cranial cavity;
- purulent inflammation of the structures and membranes of the eyeball - panophthalmitis;
- sympathetic inflammation of a healthy eye, most often it is fibro-plastic iridocyclitis;
- accumulation of pus in the vitreous with inflammation of the internal structures - endophthalmitis;
- the presence of an unaesthetic scar;
- inversion of the eyelids, as well as ptosis and eversion;
- deformation of facial tissues;
- disturbances in the work of the lacrimal glands.
When the patient’s immune system is weakened, these complications are particularly severe and acute, with a serious metabolic disturbance. If the cornea has normal blood supply, then regeneration will occur in a short time, but if it gets into the affected area of infection pathogens, a more severe degree of corneal disease, an ulcer, may develop.
Conclusion
Having studied the material presented in the article, we can make the only correct conclusion: any injuries of the cornea of the eye can be very dangerous for vision. Therefore, it is very important to provide the affected person with timely qualified medical care. If the treatment is carried out even with a slight delay, serious complications may result.