A corneal infection is a serious disease and can be due to micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungus, parasites and viruses such as herpes simplex.

 

Causes

 

Poor contact lens hygiene is the most common cause of corneal infections. The yearly incidence of infections related to contact lens wear varies between 1 in 10,000 hard contact lens users, to 22 in 10,000 extended wear contact lens wearers.

Corneal infection can also occur unrelated to contact lens wear, due to abnormalities of the ocular surface, trauma or foreign body exposure.

 

Treatment

 

Eye drops: Antibiotics, Antifungal, Antiseptic or Antiviral.

In some cases, systemic treatment is required.

It’s important to obtain samples / cultures from the infection site, before starting broad spectrum treatment.

In case of severe infection, intra-hospital treatment is needed.

 

Is surgery indicated in case of corneal infection?

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Very severe infections might lead to advanced corneal scaring limiting the vision. Surgery may be indicated in that case in order to restore corneal clarity. Surgery is also indicated when the infection is not responding to medical treatment. In these situations, surgery aims to remove the diseased cornea (where scarring or severe infections is present) and replace the removed cornea with a corneal graft or transplant.