Scarring of the Cornea

[Eastender]

Can someone give any advice please on the above condition. Thankyou

[cupid04]

Have you had this diagnosed?

[Eastender]

Yes my husband. Going to see a a consultant very soon.

[cupid04]

I had this back in April this year and I was referred to the eye clinic at my
local hospital. I was given some drops and it cleared up nicely. It can take
up to several months to heal depending on the severity. I may need
stronger reading glasses and I still dont like very bright sunlight.

[cupid04]

Is the appointment a long way off, because if your worried I'd badger your
doctor for an earlier appointment. You cant take risks where your eyes are
concerned. I was lucky enough to be referred to the clinic the same day. I
woke up one morning with my eye all swollen and my eyelid stuck together
so I was seen as a matter of emergency.

[Eastender]

He has had all sorts of drops for the eyes. They cannot give new glasses, they keep getting different readings when the eyes are tested. He eyes do look really sore sometimes and as you said the sunlight is worse. Thanks for your reply though. I do hope the consultant can help.

[cupid04]

Good luck. I hope your husband is better soon.

[Sqad]

Nothing much to say, actually, except that the commonest cause is an abrasion or other injury.
You need consult an Ophthalmic surgeon as there are other, but much rarer causes.
York 310 is also a good opinion.

[cupid04]

Hello Sqad, I was told mine was some dormant childhood illness, like chicken
pox.

Eastender, be careful when doing drops that you dont infect the good eye.

[Sqad]

cupid...an uncommon cause........and bad luck.

[Eastender]

Thanks, I was hoping that york may be around. Perhaps he will be here later. I will come by again tonight and check. thanks squad and cupid.

[york310]

Scarring of the cornea could have been a loose term or explanation given to describe the appearance of your husbands cornea. As sqad says you could typically say a scar could be from an abrasion or injury but there could be other explanations for 'scarring' of the cornea such as a type of corneal dystrophy or inflammatory disease (keratitis).

Corneal dystrophies are a group of conditions in which the structure of one of the five layers of the cornea is disrupted which can lead to various symptoms such as variable or reduced vision, glare from bright lights and sometimes pain (mores if this is an epithelial defect). Often corneal dystrophies can be genetic with some which develop early in life while others later on. Vision would usually only be affected significantly if the central part of the cornea is affected and usually if the the condition has been present for some time as dystrophies are more commonly very slow to progress.

Keratitis is just a term for inflammation of the cornea which can be due to bacterial, viral or fungal problems. Sometimes these conditions can leave scarring following inflammation but usually have more severe symptoms with a more rapid onset during their acute phase. For example people can have keratitis relating to herpes virus but would usually have pain, photophobia and reduced vision if the central cornea is affected.

It's hard to discuss all possibilities for this 'scarring of the cornea' as it is quite a vague term to be given but clearly the best person to give the diagnosis and advice is the specialist your husband has an appointment with.

I hope all goes well and would be happy to answer any questions if you have any.

York 310.

[Eastender]

Thank you ever so much york. We have made a note of what you have explained. Hopefully will have an outcome when we see the consultant.

[howerski]

My brother has this, and they scraped his eyes - painless of course ! He was told that it might take some time to settle down. Obviously you have to rely of medical professional on the spot to really get to the bottom of what is going on, and the treatment options available. On that front, if I were you I would try to collect as much technical information as I could beforehand, so I could ask relevant questions, and ask about alternatives if possible. On the question of waiting time. Sometimes it is better to bung a consultant £120 or so for a quick consultation as sometime NHS appointments can take months.

[Sqad]

£120? cheap Consultant.