Your cornea is a clear film that covers the front of your eye. It is transparent and dome shaped.
One basic cornea function is to protect your eye from pathogens, dust and any other particles that can harm the rest of your eye. Another cornea function is the curvature of your cornea plays a role in refracting light for clear vision. So, if your cornea curvature is abnormal, your vision will be slightly blurred. This inability to see fine detail is what’s known as astigmatism, a very common corneal condition.
Also, any corneal disease, damage, infection or injury that causes your cornea to scar, cloud or discolor will interfere with vision because they can block or distort light as it enters your eye. Some health conditions and corneal diseases that can have a detrimental effect on the cornea include:
- dry eye
- keratitis
- allergies
- pterygium
- keratoconus
- cornea injuries
- refractive errors
- corneal abrasions
- corneal dystrophies
- erythema multiforme major
- iridocorneal endothelial syndrome
- eye infections ~ conjunctivitis, ocular herpes, herpes zoster (shingles)
A cloudy cornea is a corneal disease wherein your cornea losses its transparency. Some of the causes for cloudy cornea are:
- trachoma
- malnutrition
- chemical burn
- river blindness
- corneal trauma
- Sjogren syndrome
- infectious diseases
- vitamin A deficiency
- herpetic keratoconjunctivitis
- rare inherited diseases causing abnormal metabolism
A cloudy cornea can cause vision loss to various degrees.
Your cornea function for vision is not only disturbed by corneal diseases and cloudiness. Here’s some other alterations of your cornea that may cause vision acuity problems:
- corneal ulcers
- swollen cornea
- cornea scarring
- cornea thinning
- previous eye surgery complication
Generally, your cornea can heal itself after damage, injury or disease. Yet in some cases, the healing process to restore your cornea function may take a while. In the meantime, you could experience some of these corneal related symptoms:
- eye pain
- eye redness
- photophobia
- blurred vision
- excessive tearing
Some of these corneal symptoms are common because cornea function of protection is involved. But if any of these symptoms persist it could indicate a serious eye problem. In that instance, you’ll need to see your health care provider to determine if any special treatment is required. Cornea treatment could involve medication, corneal transplant or corneal laser surgery.