Can chronic keratitis cause blindness?

Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 21, 2024
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Chronic bacterial conjunctivitis generally does not cause blindness. Its main clinical symptoms include itching, burning, dryness, eye pain, and visual fatigue. The conjunctiva is mildly congested and may be accompanied by thickening of the palpebral conjunctiva, papillary hypertrophy, and mucous secretions. Moraxella can cause canthal conjunctivitis, which is accompanied by crusting and ulceration of the skin at the outer canthus, and hypertrophy of the palpebral conjunctiva's papillae and follicles. Staphylococcus aureus infections are often accompanied by ulcerative blepharitis, or peripheral corneal punctate infiltration.

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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How long will the keratitis caused by dry eye syndrome take to heal?

Due to the damage to the corneal epithelium caused by dry eye, resulting in keratitis, it is essential to treat it promptly. With active treatment, recovery is generally possible within about a week. Treatment mainly involves the use of sodium hyaluronate eye drops, calf serum deproteinized extract eye drops, levofloxacin eye drops, and acyclovir eye drops. At night, use eye ointment once, specifically tobramycin eye ointment. Do not apply heat, rest well, engage in appropriate physical exercise to boost the body's immunity, adjust your mindset, reduce close-up activities to avoid eye fatigue, have regular follow-ups, pay attention to the condition of your vision. Active treatment is crucial to prevent future complications like thinning of the cornea, spots, and leukoma, which can significantly impact vision and lead to severe consequences.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Can you get eyebrow tattooing with keratitis?

Keratitis is a common ophthalmic disease, caused by an infection in the black eyeball part of the eye. It is not recommended to get eyebrow tattooing during keratitis as it may aggravate the condition. Keratitis generally occurs due to neglect of eye hygiene or eye trauma, among other reasons. The main symptoms include eye congestion, redness, foreign body sensation, stabbing pain, photophobia, tearing, and decreased vision. When examined under a slit lamp microscope, tree-branch, map-like, circular, or oval lesions can be seen on the cornea. At this point, it is necessary to use anti-infection eye drops for treatment, such as ganciclovir eye drops for viral infections, levofloxacin eye drops or tobramycin eye drops for bacterial infections. Regular treatment for about two weeks generally leads to recovery. (Please follow the doctor's advice regarding medication.)

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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How long is the general recovery period for keratitis?

The recovery time for blurry vision caused by keratitis can vary, as keratitis can range from mild to severe. Mild cases may recover within 3-5 days, but severe cases, if complications like corneal nebula, macula, leukoma, corneal ulcers, or corneal perforation occur, may lead to difficult or impossible vision recovery, or even blindness. Therefore, it is important to take keratitis seriously in treatment. Active and diligent treatment should not be neglected. Normally, do not apply heat, maintain a light diet, avoid spicy and irritating foods, use eye drops and ointments as prescribed, attend regular check-ups, and monitor vision status.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Corneal inflammation, should I use hot or cold compresses for swollen eyes?

Keratitis is a common ophthalmic disease, referring to inflammation occurring at the corneal part of the eye. It can be caused by bacterial, viral, fungal, amoebic infections, or autoimmune reactions. Patients with keratitis will experience reactive eyelid edema and conjunctival swelling. In terms of treatment, it is first important to avoid rubbing the eyes, as this can exacerbate the swelling. Alternatively, applying a cold towel can help reduce swelling. Cold compresses lower the temperature of eye tissues, causing the capillaries to constrict and thereby reducing the leakage of fluid into the tissue spaces, which facilitates the reduction of eye swelling. Generally, after cold compresses and anti-infection treatments, the inflammation in the eye will completely subside, and the swelling will disappear.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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What should I do if my baby gets keratitis?

Infants with keratitis should visit the hospital for an examination as soon as possible. Some children might not cooperate well, requiring experienced doctors to assist in the examination to determine the cause and provide symptomatic treatment. Concurrently, etiological treatment should be administered. Initially, local antibiotics should be used for anti-infection treatment. If the keratitis is caused by a viral infection, antiviral medication can be appropriately used. If the condition worsens, the patient should be checked once a day or once every two days. Once there is an improvement, a follow-up check is generally required every three days. Additionally, it is important to monitor for any corneal damage, and if necessary, medications for corneal repair should be used.