Viral keratitis: symptoms and treatment

Ophthalmic diseases are almost always borne hard and cause anxiety. After all, the eyes - this is one of the most important sense organs. And their defeat can lead to loss of vision. Among all ophthalmic diseases, keratitis is very common - inflammation of the cornea. They can be caused by different causes and without timely treatment lead to serious complications. The most common viral keratitis, which is caused by a viral infection. The disease mainly develops in children and adolescents, so it is very important to begin treatment on time to save the child's vision.

Types of keratitis

The cornea of the eye is its transparent membrane. From her condition depends visual acuity. Therefore, a decrease in its transparency due to the inflammatory process often leads to a deterioration in visual perception. This condition is provoked by keratitis - a disease affecting the cornea. Most often they are of an infectious nature: they are caused by bacteria, viruses, chlamydia, fungi or parasites.

There is also a traumatic keratitis, in which the inflammation develops due to a violation of the integrity of the cornea. This can lead to its mechanical damage, exposure to chemicals, high temperature. And the last form of keratitis is allergic. It occurs with seasonal hay fever, rhinitis, or as a complication of drug conjunctivitis.

Since the most common are corneal lesions of infectious nature, it is necessary to know the difference between viral keratitis and bacterial. You can distinguish them by their appearance. The bacterial form is caused most often by cocci or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It appears mainly after trauma or with chronic blepharoconjunctivitis. Its characteristic feature is the formation of an ulcer filled with pus.

Keratitis can develop as a complication in patients with tuberculosis, syphilis, while wearing contact lenses it can cause a microorganism such as acanthamoeba. Non-infectious forms of keratitis are common, caused by metabolic disorders, for example, gout or diabetes, or developing as complications of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Viral keratitis

The photo of the eyes affected by this disease shows that the course is quite heavy, and the risk of complications is high. This form of keratitis is caused by a viral infection. Most often, it occurs with a common infectious disease. Viral keratitis in children and adolescents is most striking, as well as people with low immunity.

The virus gets on the cornea of the eye by air-dropping or by contact-household method. In young children, primary viral keratitis is most often diagnosed. It proceeds in an acute form. But the virus can be in the body in a latent form and under certain circumstances is activated. In this case, the disease is called secondary keratitis. This form has a chronic course and is very difficult to treat.

There are several forms of viral keratitis: spot, metaherpetic, dendritic, vesicular, discoid and others.

• The treelike form is a superficial keratitis. It is characterized by the appearance of small bubbles, which, after opening, leave patterns on the cornea in the form of branches of a tree.
• Metaperpetic keratitis is a severe lesion of the deep layers of the cornea. Deep infiltrates develop, often affecting the vascular part of the eye.
• Discoid keratitis causes severe swelling. Then a round infiltrate develops. Sometimes with this form of disease, the corneal opacity and visual acuity decrease is observed.

Common viral keratitis

The most common is the keratitis that occurs most often, caused by a herpetic infection. Herpes is a filtering neurotropic virus. Most often, it enters the human body as a child due to weak immunity. Completely cure herpes is impossible, it periodically exacerbates under the influence of provoking factors. And one of the forms of its manifestation is viral keratitis.

There are a lot of herpes viruses, but some of them cause such diseases, the complication of which often develops keratitis. In addition to herpes simplex, it is chicken pox and shingles.

There are several forms of this disease: primary keratitis occurs when the herpes virus is infected. Most often it happens in young children. The second form is post-primary keratitis, when the "sleeping" virus is activated under the influence of provoking factors. In addition, herpetic keratitis may be superficial, when only the outer part of the cornea is affected, or deep, when the virus penetrates all layers of the eye's shell.

In addition to herpes viruses, keratitis can be caused by adenovirus. It also develops with such common childhood diseases as influenza, ARVI, mumps, measles and rubella. The most severe form is adenoviral epidemiological keratitis, which is spread by contact. A feature of all keratitis caused by adenoviruses is that they usually affect both eyes, flow in an acute form, but disappear without a trace after recovery, without causing a decrease in visual acuity.

Causes of appearance

Viral keratitis of the eye develops most often against the background of common viral diseases, as well as in the absence of treatment for conjunctivitis. The defeat of the cornea can arise as a complication of influenza, SARS, chicken pox, mumps, measles, rubella or shingles. But for the virus not only to get on the cornea, but also to settle down there, causing inflammation, certain provoking factors are needed. It can be:

• Supercooling;
• Decreased immunity;
• Frequent stressful situations;
• Mechanical damage to the cornea;
• avitaminosis;
• Disturbance of metabolic processes;
• Dry eye syndrome;
• Wearing contact lenses.

Viral keratitis: symptoms

Clinical manifestations of such lesions of the cornea are quite typical and are perceived by patients with difficulty. Usually, viral keratitis affects one eye. All types of disease have about the same signs:

• Blushes the mucous membrane of the eye;
• The eyelids swell;
• The eye is sensitive to light and touch;
• Pain is felt, the patient feels that there is a foreign body in the eye;
• There are lacrimation and mucous discharge;
• The cornea becomes turbid;
• On its surface appear transparent bubbles, which, after opening, leave after themselves a sore;
• Visual acuity decreases.

Diagnosis of the disease

When the first signs of corneal damage appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. An ophthalmologist can diagnose on the basis of external signs, but still use additional methods of examination. First of all, the visual acuity and the boundaries of the visible space are examined. Be sure to conduct keratometry and biomicroscopy, determine the sensitivity of the cornea. An informative fluorescein instillation test that shows the boundaries of the affected area. In addition, blood tests are taken, which are checked for antibodies to viruses, as well as PCR smears from the cornea.

Treatment of viral keratitis

If there are signs of corneal damage, you need to go to a medical facility. Only a doctor will be able to determine the symptoms of viral keratitis and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Such diseases are treated in a hospital. Therapy should be comprehensive. Its main tasks are: destruction of the virus, strengthening the patient's immunity and restoring the corneal tissues.

As antiviral therapy, "Acyclovir" is administered orally, drops of "Interferon", oxolin ointment or gel "Zirgan". Injections of gamma globulin may be used. To remove local symptoms: swelling, pain and inflammation, "Analgin", "Indomethacin", "Atropine" are prescribed. It is mandatory to use vitamin preparations and biogenic stimulants.

Physiotherapeutic procedures are also effective: electrophoresis, diathermy, diadynamic currents. With ulcers, cryoapplication or laser coagulation is used.

If the conservative treatment is ineffective and extensive corneal involvement can be recommended, surgical treatment is recommended. Scraping of the affected tissue is done, through keratoplasty, and in the most severe cases - corneal transplantation.

Prevention

If treatment of viral keratitis of the eye is not started on time, or the patient does not follow the doctor's recommendations, serious complications are possible. In addition to reducing visual acuity, it can be blindness, glaucoma, cataract, abscess. Therefore, everything must be done to prevent the development of the disease. To prevent keratitis, you should avoid eye injuries, protect them and do not touch them with dirty hands. In addition, it is very important to treat all infectious diseases on time and to strengthen immunity.