Viral keratitis: causes, symptoms and ways of treating the disease

Viral keratitis is the inflammation of the cornea of ​​the eye caused by a viral infection. Viral keratitis is manifested by bubble rashes, redness and swelling, often occurs as follows called corneal syndrome, eyesight is almost always impaired, patients complain of neuralgic pain. Treatment is prescribed only after diagnosis and includes the use of antibacterial, immunomodulating, antiviral drugs, vitamins, NSAIDs, analgesics. Good results show physiotherapy, in neglected cases, the doctor directs the patient to keratoplasty or scraping the affected epithelium.

Definition of disease

Viral keratitis is one of the manifestations of a common viral infection of the body.Most often the disease affects young and old people. The inflammatory process can affect the whole stroma or only its upper layers with the epithelium - respectively, secrete the deep and superficial stages of the disease.

Viral keratitis is accompanied by a decrease in the transparency of the cornea and a deterioration in visual acuity. In the absence of adequate treatment, pathology can complicate ulceration, abscess and corneal necrosis.

Kinds

In ophthalmology it is common to divide viral keratitis into subspecies.The classification is based on the variation of the clinical course of the disease:

• point;
• vesicular;
• tree-like;
• discoid;
• metaherpetic;
• diffuse keratouveitis.

Also doctors share and subtypes of herpetic keratitis.Depending on the type of lesion simple or herpes zoster, the disease is much heavier, because these pathogens belong to the group of filtering neurodermotropic viruses.

Metaperpetic keratitis, as a rule, is diagnosed in combination with iridocyclitis and edema of the retina.

Causes

The development of viral keratitis causes the following infections:

• herpetic;
• adenoviral;
• parotitis;
• chickenpox;
• measles;
• adenoviral conjunctivitis(in the absence of treatment).

The main provoking factors are a decrease in immunity, a violation of the integrity of the cornea of ​​the eye, or an increase in its permeability, frequent stresses, and general supercooling.

Symptoms

Symptomatically, the disease manifests itself in two forms - primary and post-primary.The main symptoms of a primary infection are:

• photophobia;
• lacrimation;
• blepharospasm;
• mixed infection with a predominance of pericorneal infection.

The patient complains of severe pain and purulent discharge from the eyes.The iris is riddled with dilating vessels, as a result of which the ciliary pain intensifies.Independently the disease does not pass - it can only temporarily "fade."

After the primary herpetic keratitis has not such a marked symptomatology as the primary.

After the primary herpetic keratitis is not so acute, separated from the eye is quite meager.Corneal syndrome is not expressed strongly. Exacerbations of the disease usually fall on autumn and winter.

Possible complications

The main complication of neglected viral keratitis is loss of visual acuity.Do not start the disease - the further it is, the more difficult it will be to treat it.

Treatment

The main way to treat viral keratitis is medication.But it is possible to use folk methods as well as surgical intervention.

For the diagnosis of pathology, only an examination may not be enough.The main methods of research -biomicroscopy, confocal and endothelial microscopy, pachymetry and keratometry, examination of visual acuity, determination of corneal sensitivity, PCR, ELISA tests.

Pachymetry

Medication

The doctor appoints the patient antiviral drugs, immunomodulators, interferons, inhibitors of proteolysis enzymes, antioxidants, as well as various physiotherapy procedures.

Viral keratitis requires complex treatment - therapy should be aimed at suppressing the pathogen, In parallel, stimulation of local and general immunity is carried out, the regenerative function of tissues cornea.

For treatment, antiviral droplets of the following groups are used: Interferon, Acyclovir.Among the ointments, Terborenovaya, Bonaforovaya and Oksolinova are popular. In addition, tablets are prescribed, based on large doses of Acyclovir.

Acyclovir for the treatment of papillomas on the eyelids

For the prevention of secondary infection, placeantiseptic preparations and antibacterial ointments(Tetracycline and Erythromycin).

In addition, pain medication, mydriatic(Atropine, Cyclopentolate), vitamin therapy. In cases of frequent recurrences of the herpes virus, a general antiherpetic vaccination can be shown to the patient.

With ulcerative herpetic keratitis, corticosteroids should not be taken.

Surgically

The operation is carried out in the event that the drug treatment has not yielded any results.Transplantation of the cornea is carried out strictly in the hospital.

Also worth noting that the surgical intervention is led exclusively by persistent deep keratitis, which caused atrophy of the corneal layer and began to spread to neighboring tissues(the lens, the layers of the sclera). In the case of prevention of cataracts (opacity of the lens), an ophthalmologist prescribes a corneal transplant.

Carrying out the operation with viral keratitis

Folk remedies

The main folk remedies used in the treatment of keratitis are sea buckthorn oil, celandine juice, mocritis and propolis.We advise you to consult a doctor first.

Prevention

Deep viral keratitis, which occurs with ulceration of the cornea, leads to intense opacity of the cornea and a sharp decrease in visual acuity. <

Prevention of viral keratitis is to prevent primary infection, as well as relapse of infectious diseases.The main methods are "on signal" therapy, as well as routine vaccination. Avoid corneal injuries, hypothermia, stressful situations - these factors cause the activation of a dormant infection.

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Video

conclusions

Viral keratitis can be deep and superficial, primary and post-primary. It arises against the weakening of immunity and inadequate treatment of concomitant diseases. Therapy is medicated, the operation is performed in extreme cases.

Also read about adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis.