Cornea Services

At Drishti we provide treatment for emergencies as well as care for more long-term conditions of the cornea.

Cornea is the clear tissue at the front and centre of the eye, it’s transparency allows light to pass into the eye through the pupil, lens and on the Retina.

The curvature of the cornea plays an important role in focusing.

Corneal Eye Diseases:

Corneal eye disease is one of the leading cause for avoidable blindness and it effects more than 10 Million people worldwide after Cataract, Glaucoma and Age related macular degeneration. 

For a quality vision a healthy, clear cornea is most important, any injury, infection, or damage on the cornea can leave the cornea swollen, scarred or misshapen and with a distorted vision

Causes of corneal disease:

• Infection: Bacterial, fungal and viral infections are common causes of corneal damage.
• The cause of Keratoconus in most patients is unknown.
• Age: Aging can affect the quality and health of the cornea
• Cataract & Intraocular lens implant surgery:  Bullous Keratopathy although seen in very small percentage of patients after these surgical procedures.
• Heredity
• Contact lenses
• Eye trauma
• Certain systemic diseases

Corneal Blindness:  There are almost 1.5 to 2 million new reported cases every year due to Ocular trauma and ulcerations. Traditional and non-scientific diagnosis and medicines have also been a major risk factor in corneal blindness in developing countries.

Some of the leading causes for Corneal Blindness:

• The after-effects of bacterial, fungal, or viral infections
• Eye trauma
• Congenital disease
• Traditional medicine or home remedies, which often harm the eye rather than relieve pain or improve eyesight
• Infections
• Bacterial, fungal, or viral Keratitis, as well as parasitic diseases
• Trauma
• Abrasions or exposure to toxic chemicals
• Dystrophies and degenerative corneal disorders
• Fuchs' dystrophy, map-dot-fingerprint dystrophy, or lattice corneal dystrophy
• Autoimmune disorders, Wegener's disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Lupus
• Nutritional deficiencies

Treatment :

• The only curative treatment available is a cornea graft or transplant

Corneal Services at Drishti -

1.Keratoplasty – (Corneal Transplant)

Procedure: Surgical procedure that replaces opaque front part of the cornea, with healthy donor tissue

2.Keratoconus

 

           

 

 

 

The Cornea gets thin & conical causing distorted vision and high cylindrical power.  More commonly seen in children with seasonal allergy and eye rubbing.

The Cornea gets thin & conical causing distorted vision and high cylindrical powers.

• More commonly seen in children with seasonal allergy and eye rubbing
• Amniotic Membrane transplant
• Amniotic membrane transplantation is currently being used for a continuously widening spectrum of ophthalmic indications. It has gained widespread attention as an effective method of reconstruction of the ocular surface. Read More

3.Dry Eye

Dry eye usually occurs when tears are inadequate in quantity or quality. Commonly seen in computer professionals and with smartphone overuse. Other causes: Sjogrens syndrome 

4.Chemical burns

Chemical & Acid injury of the eye is an ocular emergency and requires immediate intervention to save from severe damage to the eye if not chemical injuries to the eye can produce extensive damage to the ocular surface and anterior segment and which may also lead to visual loss and disfigurement of the eye.

5.Chuna injury 

Once chuna enters the eye, it sticks into the eye under the eyelid, even through washing it with water it does not removes the particles the chuna particles leache​​ onto the eyelids and gets into the cornea destroying its outer covering it's epithelium this can lead to vision loss . 

Management : Treatment for emergency and Acute and chronic cases

6.Corneal Transplant 

An unhealthy, damaged cornea affects your vision by distorting or scattering light and blurred vision a cornea transplant may be required to restore vision, A healthy corneal tissue donated from a donor from a local eye bank, the surgeon will replace central corneal tissue with a graft. Read More

Pterygium Surgery: Pterygium surgery: The procedure involves removal abnormal tissue from the sclera and cornea of the eye.

Today Pterygium surgery technique has a higher success rate than conventional procedures, patient heals within two to four weeks with mild discomfort

Diagnosing corneal disease:

The Eye Surgeon will examine your eye for Trauma and Corneal disease through advanced diagnostic technology such as magnifying tools and Slit lamp, corneal topography, your doctor can detect signs of corneal infection, inflammation, scarring, and other problems associated with the front structure of the eye. A special dye may be used to determine the extent of the damage.

Treatment for corneal disease: Like other serious eye diseases, corneal infections/disease should be treated immediately. There are antibiotics and steroids that can be used topically, and occasionally orally, to treat the myriad of conditions that can affect the cornea

Meet the Doctor:

Dr Ruchika Pattanaik

MS, FICO, FMRF

Cornea Surgeon

Fellow, Sankara Nethralaya,Chennai