Bacterial keratitis is an infection of the cornea which causes pain, decreased vision, light sensitivity, tearing or secretion from the eye. The infection is often a result of trauma to the eye. Bacterial keratitis usually develops really fast and if not treated can cause blindness. Bacteria responsible for this type of infection are Staphylococcus Aureus, and for people who wear contact lenses, the most common cause is Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.
Surface keratitis affects the top layers of the cornea. With this type of infection, after being treated, usually no scarring on the cornea remains.
Deep keratitis affects the inner layers of the cornea. After treatment, scar tissue can remain, which can affect vision, depending on its location.
Other than bacterial keratitis, there are many other types of keratitis, some of which are:
- Amoebic infection (usually affects contact lens wearers)
- Fungal keratitis (resulting from a fungal infection)
- Viral keratitis (caused by herpes simplex and herpes zoster)
- Photokeratitis (caused by intense UV radiation).
Symptoms of bacterial keratitis can include:
- Decreased vision
- Pain in the eye (often sudden)
- Increased sensitivity to light;
- Tearingразкъсване;
- Excess fluid or secretions from the eye
If you do not treat the keratitis, the eye infection can lead to blindness. The treatment for bacterial keratitis must start right away to prevent vision loss.
Bacterial keratitis can be caused by different things, including:
- Usage of contact lenses (especially for too long)
- Using infected eye medications
- Usage of local steroids
- Corneal disease
- Weak immune system due to diabetes, alcoholism or a bad diet.
If you have any symptoms of bacterial keratitis such as pain, weakened vision, sensitivity to light, tearing or secretions from the eye, consult with an ophthalmologist immediately.
To diagnose bacterial keratitis, your ophthalmologist may take a sample from your eye and test it for an infection. After that, discussing your other symptoms with you, they will decide whether that is a bacterial or fungal keratitis. Bacterial keratitis is usually treated with antibiotics and may require multiple trips to the doctor. Treatment can also include local steroids such as eye drops.
If you wear contact lenses, it is very important that you treat and store them correctly to decrease the risk of developing keratitis.