What is the Cornea?
The cornea is the clear front surface of the eye situated directly in front of the iris and pupil. The cornea allows light to enter the eye and provides 65% to 75% of the eye’s focusing power.
The cornea must be clear, smooth, and healthy for good vision. The cornea of the eye is where disease and damage can occur the most easily. Most refractive errors — nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism — are a result of less than optimal curvature or symmetry of the cornea.
Jervey Eye Group physicians can detect if eye disease or eye injury has damaged your cornea. Some common cornea problems include keratoconus, abrasion, infections, scarring, dystrophies, ulcer, pterygium, and others.
Many symptoms are the same as other eye conditions including:
Corneal and external eye issues can range from mild irritation to severe disease with extensive vision loss. Whether your cornea has experienced damage or disease, or is curved in a way that challenges your vision, our expert physicians will help evaluate your condition and recommend the right next step for your care.
Treatment for cornea and external eye disease depends on the cause, severity, and structures involved. Some conditions may be managed with medication, lubrication, specialized contact lenses, minor surgery, or laser procedures.
If your cornea cannot be healed or repaired with these options, your ophthalmologist may recommend a corneal transplant. This process involves removing all or part of the cornea and replacing it with healthy donor tissue from an eye bank. Depending on which layers of the cornea are diseased or damaged, a full or partial corneal transplant may be required.
External eye disease refers to conditions affecting the cornea, conjunctiva, eyelids, and tear film — the structures that protect and nourish the surface of the eye. Common examples include dry eye, corneal infections, abrasions, and pterygium. Left untreated, these conditions can affect eye comfort and vision, so early evaluation by an eye care provider is important.
Redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, a foreign body sensation, or eye pain that does not improve can all indicate a corneal or external eye issue. If you experience these symptoms, schedule an appointment with one of our physicians for an evaluation.
A corneal transplant may be recommended when the cornea can no longer be repaired with medication, specialized contact lenses, minor surgical procedures, or laser procedures. Your ophthalmologist will determine whether a full or partial transplant is the right option based on which layers of the cornea are affected.
Many cases of keratoconus can be managed with specialized contact lenses, monitoring, and other non-transplant treatment options. Surgery, such as a corneal transplant, is typically reserved for advanced cases when vision cannot be corrected well with lenses or the cornea has become severely affected.
All of our doctors are trained to recognize and treat cornea and external eye issues. However, once surgery is needed, our doctors will often refer to one of our specialists who are trained to manage more severe cases. Our cornea specialist is Dr. Lara Newman.
Our modern, efficient facilities include four offices in Greenville, Simpsonville, and Easley. Each offers one-stop convenience for examinations, eyewear selection, purchase, and fittings.
