Corneal disease is of different kinds, including the corneal dystrophies – lattice, map-dot-fingerprint and Fuchs’ dystrophy. Ocular herpes and keratoconus are other corneal diseases. Cornea has many functions. It is the outer layer of the eye which filters the dangerous ultraviolet light from the sun and prevents eye injury.
In addition, the cornea controls the direct entry of light into the eye by refracting or bending the light rays that fall on the retina. It also serves as a protection mechanism. It shields the eye from harmful materials.
Cornea is made up of five basic layers; they are the bowman’s layer, epithelium, descemet’s membrane, and the endothelium.
Cloudy material buildup occurs in a corneal dystrophy which causes the corneal parts to lose their its normal clarity slightly. Corneal dystrophies are some common types of corneal diseases, which involve one layer at least. There are different kinds of this condition.
Lattice dystrophy is a corneal disease caused by the protein fibers accumulation which are abnormal in the middle and anterior part of the stroma. This accumulation can result in a lattice effect. With the progression of this disease, the accumulated deposits may grow and involve more stroma. If this accumulation results in cloudiness, vision impairment may occur.
Fuchs’ Dystrophy generally progresses slowly. This disease occurs when the corneal endothelial cells break down. Actually, the endothelium pumps water from the stroma. But, as the epitheliums’ cells deteriorate because of this disease, the endothelium becomes less efficient in function.
Map dot fingerprint is a corneal disease characterized by the abnormal development of basement membrane that serves as a foundation for the epithelial cells. This disease causes blurred vision in affected individuals. The person suffering from this condition generally shows gray outlines over the epithelium. These outlines give a dot or map like appearance.
Another corneal disease is keratoconus. This disease cause the thinning of cornea progressively. This disease is characterized by the bulging of the middle of cornea towards outward and formation of cone like shape. This causes abnormal curvature of the cornea that leads to lowered refractive power. Corneal scarring and swelling also occur and lead to vision distortion.
