7/24/13

What Is Bacterial Keratitis? - Eye M.D.-approved information from EyeSmart

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What Is Bacterial Keratitis?

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Bacterial keratitis is an infection of the cornea (the clear, round dome covering the eye's iris and pupil) that causes pain, reduced vision, light sensitivity and tearing or discharge from your eye. Resulting from infection from contact lens use or from injury to the eye, bacterial keratitis usually develops very quickly, and if left untreated, can cause blindness. The bacteria usually responsible for this type of keratitis infection are Staphylococcus Aureus and, for contact lens wearers, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.

What Is Bacterial Keratitis? Bacterial Keratitis Symptoms What Causes Bacterial Keratitis? Bacterial Keratitis Treatment

Keratitis eye infection

Superficial keratitis involves the uppermost layers of the cornea. When this form of keratitis has healed, there is usually no scar on the cornea. Deep keratitis affects deeper corneal layers. There can be a scar left after healing which may or may not affect your vision, depending on where the scar is located.

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Related Answers
In addition to bacterial keratitis, there are a number of other types of keratitis eye infection, some of which include: Amoebic keratitis (usually affecting contact lens wearers, it is often caused by Acanthamoeba); Fungal keratitis (infection with fungi); Viral keratitis (caused by herpes simplex and herpes zoster viruses); Photokeratitis (due to intense ultraviolet radiation exposure, e.g. snow blindness or welder's arc eye).

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What Is Bacterial Keratitis? - Eye M.D.-approved information from EyeSmart

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