What are The Symptoms?

You will feel discomfort or pain in the eye, and the sharpness of your vision will be impaired to some degree. The effect on your vision is determined by the size of the ulcer. The white part of the eye will be reddened. In cases of infections other than those caused by Herpes simplex, the ulcer is sometimes readily visible, if you look closely, as a whitish patch. Herpes simplex infections produce what is called a dendritic ulcer, which has a branching pattern and is invisible to the unassisted eye. The symptoms are much more pronounced in bacterial infections than in viral or fungal infections.

What are The Risks?

The majority of those affected by corneal ulcers are people who work at a job where their eyes are exposed to a spray of flying bodies, such as wood shavings or grit from car engines. If an ulcer is not treated promptly, a scar can form on the cornea and sometimes reduce vision. A neglected ulcer may perforate the cornea, cause pain and loss of vision, and allow infection to enter the eyeball, which can cause permanent loss of sight.

What Should be Done?

Because of the serious risks involved, as soon as you suspect you have a corneal ulcer or infection see your physician. If the doctor suspects a Herpes simplex infection, he or she may apply drops to the eye that stain and reveal any dendritic ulcer present, which can confirm the diagnosis.

Ulcers caused by injury to the cornea and the bacterial infections that follow them are treated with antibiotics, given as drops, ointment, tablets, or injections. For viral infections and the ulcers they produce, other drops and ointments are prescribed. Fungal ulcers are more difficult to treat. Dendritic ulcers tend to recur.

If scars from ulceration drastically reduce vision, you may need a corneal transplant ­an operation to graft a new cornea onto the eye . If an ulcer has perforated the cornea, immediate surgery will be required to seal off the hole .