Cornea

The cornea is your eye's clear, protective outer layer, playing a crucial role in focusing your vision. Like a camera lens, it precisely directs light onto the retina, allowing you to see the world in sharp, clear detail. Its importance can't be overstated; it's essential for good vision, acting as your eye's first line of defense against dust, germs, and other harmful particles.

When problems arise with the cornea—be it from injury, infection, or disease—the effects on your sight can be significant. Issues like corneal abrasions, keratitis, or more complex conditions such as keratoconus distort the cornea's shape or clarity, leading to blurred vision, glare, and in severe cases, vision loss. Maintaining the health of your cornea is crucial for preserving the quality of your sight, highlighting the importance of regular eye check-ups and prompt treatment of any corneal conditions.
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Corneal Problems

If any of the layers of your cornea become damaged, you will experience vision problems. At Azul Vision, our team can diagnose these problems and provide treatment to save your vision.

Some of the most common conditions include:
  • Keratoconus, an eye disease that causes the cornea to thin and bulge outward
  • Pterygium (Surfer’s Eye), a non-cancerous growth of tissue that covers all or part of the cornea
  • Corneal Dystrophies which can cause structural problems
  • Keratitis, an eye inflammation

Protecting the Cornea

Your cornea is an important part of your eyes: it serves as a multi-layer protection layer as well as a gauge for how clearly you can see.

As the clear outer layer of your eyes, the cornea is responsible for keeping dirt and foreign debris out of your eyes, protect against injury or infection and much more.

The shape of your cornea dictates if you will be nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism. Surgery can often be performed to alter the shape of the cornea so clear vision can be achieved.

When you study the cornea closely, you discover that there are 5 layers:
  1. Epithelium (outermost layer): a barrier for foreign matter; also absorbs nutrients and oxygen from tears
  2. Bowman’s membrane (second layer): collagen fibers for corneal strength
  3. Stroma (middle layer): dense connective tissue providing elasticity and strength
  4. Decement’s membrane (inner layer): dense collagen tissue
  5. Endothelium (innermost layer): transports excess fluid out of the stroma
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