Cornea Disorders

The cornea is the transparent and outermost layer of the eye. It is a clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye globe. It is rich with cells and proteins but contains no blood vessels.

Function

• The function of the cornea is to shield or protect the eye from germs, dust, dirt, soaps and chemicals. The cornea also works like a window to control the level of light entry into the eyes and is the main contributor to visual focusing.

Types

• Parts of the cornea include the epithelium (outermost region), Bowman's layer (transparent tissue beneath the epithelium), the stroma, the Descemet's membrane and the endothelium (the innermost layer of the cornea). Types of corneal disorders include allergies, conjunctivitis, or pink eye, infection, dry eye, Fuchs' dystrophy, myopic refractions---nearsightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism---and Iridocorneal Endothelial Syndrome, as well as several other disorders. These maladies can affect any area of the cornea, including its nerves and nerve endings, its membrane, or tissue, or its cells.

Effects

• The overall effect of corneal disorders is visual disturbances, distortions and eye irritation, but some disorders are serious enough to cause temporary or permanent vision loss. Fuchs' dystrophy, for example, can cause blisters around the epithelium, which may in turn cause blurred vision and eye pain. Iridocorneal Endothelial Syndrome can lead to glaucoma, a condition that occurs when normal fluid inside the eye cannot drain properly. Overall, the eye is mostly resilient to nontraumatic injuries and irritations and heals pretty quickly.

Fun Fact

• The eye is composed of nearly 2 million working parts, can process 36,000 bits of information every hour and in a lifetime will supply you with 24 million images.