What is a corneal disorder?

The cornea is the transparent membrane at the very front of the eyeball. Together with the lens, it is responsible for the refraction of the incoming light rays. In some cases, the cornea can become clouded. There are two types of corneal disorder. The first is referred to as damage to the endothelial cells on the inside wall of the cornea. Another disorder of the cornea is called keratoconus. With keratoconus, the cornea slowly but surely takes on the shape of a cone, and as this happens, the patient’s vision gradually worsens.

Causes of corneal disorders

The cornea may lose its transparency or become misshapen due to an infection, trauma, the improper use of contact lenses or due to an illness. When visual acuity greatly deteriorates due to one of these causes, a corneal transplant may be performed. A cornea from a donor (a recently deceased person) is inserted into the eye in the place of the patient’s own, damaged cornea.

Treatment of corneal disorders

When the endothelial cells on the inside wall of the cornea are affected:

• Total corneal transplantation
• Transplantation of only the endothelial cells

In the case of keratoconus:

• Ultraviolet cross-linking
• Hard contact lenses
• Corneal transplantation
• Treatment with intracorneal ring segments