Cloudy cornea
A cloudy cornea is a loss of transparency of the cornea.
Causes
The cornea makes up the front wall of the eye. It is normally clear. It helps focus the light entering the eye.
Causes of cloudy cornea include:
- Inflammation
- Sensitivity to non-infectious bacteria or toxins
- Infection
- Keratitis
- Trachoma
- River blindness
- Corneal ulcers
- Swelling (edema)
- Acute glaucoma
- Birth injury
- Fuchs dystrophy
- Dryness of the eye due to Sjogren syndrome, vitamin A deficiency, or LASIK eye surgery
- Dystrophy (inherited metabolic disease)
- Keratoconus
- Injury to the eye, including chemical burns and welding injury
- Tumors or growths on the eye
- Pterygium
- Bowen disease
Clouding may affect all or part of the cornea. It leads to different amounts of vision loss. You may not have any symptoms in the early stages.
Vision loss
Blindness is a lack of vision. It may also refer to a loss of vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Partial blindness mean...
Home Care
Consult your health care provider. There is no appropriate home care.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Contact your provider if:
- The outer surface of the eye appears cloudy.
- You have trouble with your vision.
Note: You will need to see an ophthalmologist for vision or eye problems. However, your primary provider may also be involved if the problem could be due to a whole-body (systemic) disease.
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
The provider will examine your eyes and ask about your medical history. The two main questions will be if your vision is affected and if you have seen a spot on the front of your eye.
Other questions may include:
- When did you first notice this?
- Does it affect both eyes?
- Do you have trouble with your vision?
- Is it constant or intermittent?
- Do you wear contact lenses?
- Is there any history of injury to the eye?
- Has there been any discomfort? If so, is there anything that helps?
Tests may include:
- Biopsy of lid tissue
- Computer mapping of the cornea (corneal topography)
- Schirmer's test for eye dryness
- Special photographs to measure the cells of the cornea
- Standard eye exam
Standard eye exam
A standard eye exam is a series of tests done to check your vision and the health of your eyes.
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article - Ultrasound to measure corneal thickness
Ultrasound
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to make images of organs and structures inside the body.
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article
Reviewed By
Franklin W. Lusby, MD, ophthalmologist, Lusby Vision Institute, La Jolla, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Lisch W, Weiss JS. Early and late clinical landmarks of corneal dystrophies. Exp Eye Res. 2020;198:108139. PMID: 32726603 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32726603/.
Patel SS, Goldstein DA. Episcleritis and scleritis. In: Yanoff M, Duker JS, eds. Ophthalmology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 4.11.
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