We all try to take care of our eyes, but sometimes we neglect them. If you have perfect eyes, how often would you think to visit the eye doctor or think that there could be problems with your eyes. If you wear contacts you never imagine that something could go wrong and your contacts cause more problems than you want. There could always be something that happens to your eyes from a small cut to infections to even ulcers within the corneas. Corneal ulcers are open sores within your eyes, or rather an infection of the cornea. Many times they can be healed within a week, but there are times when it could take longer and more extensive things to heal your eyes.
Corneal ulcers are painful because there is nerve exposure. There is tearing of the eyes which make you squint, and you may experience vision lose. Ulcers can have long term problems if you don’t get them checked and treated immediately. The ulcer could be in the center of the cornea or located on the sides. Some symptoms other than the squinting and vision lose include small pupils, and redness. There may also be the feel that you have something in your eye when you in fact don’t. Many times you can mistake corneal ulcers with pink eye. According to an article called Corneal Ulcers on healthsquare.com, they can be caused by an infection after an injury to the eyes or the overuse of contacts.
There are different kinds of infections that could cause the ulcers and different ways to treat them. Bacterial ulcers are cause by of course bacteria that enter through the small tear in the cornea. Bacterial ulcers are treated by anti-botic therapy. Fungal ulcers are treated more intensively with anti-fungal medicines. Lastly are viral Ulcers. They are treat with of course anti-virals. With treatments corneal ulcers can be healed within the week. You shouldn’t wear contacts until your doctor says you can once more, they can just easily make the ulcer worse. Also be sure to eat foods with Vitamin A and Vitamin C along with some proteins.
Corneal ulcers are detected through eye exams. It begins with medical and family histories. A Slit lamp exam is done; this procedure uses a light and a microscope to see the cornea and where exactly the ulcer is. A stain can be used to help determine where the edges of the corneal ulcer are. Then a scrapping could be done where the doctor will scrap some of the ulcer to see if it is bacterial, fungal or viral. The treatments could have small side effects such as upset stomach, or a small rash. Your doctor may want to monitor your eyes with regular visits to make sure the infection and ulcer do not return.
Things that you could do to keep the ulcers at bay are clean your contacts regularly and as prescribed by the doctor. Everyone should wear safety glasses to prevent any form of injury to your eyes since some ulcers can be caused from a small injury. Ladies do not share your make-up brushes or eye make-up. If there is a small form of bacteria on one brush and you share you can transport that bacteria to your friends. Ulcers themselves are not contagious, but the underlying infection could be spread from person to person, so be careful when you do have an ulcer.
Corneal ulcers are very painful things to have, and can very easily be confused with simply pink eye if you don’t get it checked by an eye doctor instead of your primary care physician. Always follow up your primary with a visit to the eye doctor if you think there is something wrong with your vision. Always talk to your doctor before getting contacts and find out all the risks that could result from contacts. Be sure to eat foods that are good for Vitamin A and C to help your eyes out a little. No one wants to have corneal ulcers and have their vision compromised.
