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For contact lenses users, you should be more disciplined in take care of your contact lens hygiene. Dirty contact lenses can cause keratitis.
Keratitis is a condition in which the cornea of the eye become inflamed. This condition is often marked by pain and vision problems. Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea (a transparent membrane covering the colored part of the eye and pupil).
At the first time using softlens or contact lenses, usually you will be reminded to always maintain the hygiene of the contact lenses. Lack of contact lens hygiene can cause serious eye infection called acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). Infection of the eye may cause disturbances in vision and further more it can cause blindness. These infections not only occur in people who often use the soft lens, but often also experience a part of everyone’s eyes exposed to dust, water, and soil.
Factors, Causes and Symptoms
Keratitis can occur in children and adults. Bacteria are generally unable to strike a healthy cornea, but some conditions can cause bacterial infection occurs. For example, injury or trauma to the eye can cause corneal infection.
The cause of keratitis is vary. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi is one of the most factors that can cause keratitis. Other causes are dryness of the eyes caused by the use of contact lenses, foreign objects into the eye, or even more irritating. In addition, vitamin A deficiency and the use of contact lenses that are less well also be one cause of keratitis.
Keratitis cases are often found in those who are too often using contact lenses. Contact lens users are often lack in contact lens hygiene. For example, a contact lens that is rarely cleaned up after use or the use of contact lenses that have expired.
Keratitis often occurs because patients do not store or disinfect contact lenses properly, which causes infection in the eye. Apart from the user subjects factor, there is also an activity that can be risk factors for this disease are wearing contact lenses while swimming or bathing in the shower (shower) without removing contact lenses.
Some of the symptoms of keratitis caused by them, out of excessive tears and pain very much on the eyes. In addition there is also decreased visual acuity. In some cases also found inflammation in the eyelid that causes the eyes become red and swollen and very sensitive to excessive light.
This disease occurs because the cornea is injured and feared would happen to blindness if not immediately get medical treatment. In case of further keratitis can look like a ring that covers the iris.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis is done by a way called anamnesis and which would find out the early history of the patient. The diagnosis of keratitis is rarely done properly at an early stage. This disease usually can be diagnosed after all efforts that have been done for treatment was failure.
Less Keratitis patients which receive right medical diagnosis, because this disease is often suspected as herpes simplex keratitis. Other diseases that also have similarities with keratitis which is caused by fungi and keratitis due to mycobacterium. The diagnosis can also be proved by investigation. Investigations that can be done by performing a corneal biopsy culture by finding its amoeba form.
Eyedroppers or antibiotic eye ointment, antifungal, and antiviral usually given to cure keratitis, but these drugs should only be given with a doctor’s prescription. Wrong or bad treatment could cause deterioration of the symptoms. Topical corticosteroid medicines can cause corneal deterioration in patients with keratitis due to herpes simplex virus.
Medicines containing steroids should not be used for the affected eye keratitis, because the disease may worsen and cause corneal ulceration and even blindness. And you must consult with your doctor for eye treatment conditions.
Keratitis patients typically use an eye cover to protect the eyes from bright lights, objects that can contaminate the eyes, and other irritating substances. But it is preferable to treatment to an eye doctor to get a more precise handling.
Antibiotics, anti-fungal, and anti-virus can be used depending on the bacteria cause. Spectrum antibiotics can be used for treatment, but if the laboratory results found the cause, treatment can be replaced in accordance with the patient’s condition. It takes more than one kind of treatment. Surgical laser therapy are sometimes made to the already heavy case, because the patient needed a corneal transplant.
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