The cornea of the eye is most often affected by negative environmental factors. If a corolla of a pink-cyanotic shade appears around the cornea, this indicates the presence of a pericorneal injection of the eyeball, which is caused by irritation of the deep vessels of the marginal loop. Most often, such a symptom indicates the development of keratitis. Consider the features of the disease, its causes and diagnostic methods.
Features of the study of the cornea
Most often, eye diseases are manifested in the form of painful sensations, redness of the lining of the eyeball and decreased vision. The presence of such symptoms is possible with diseases such as keratitis and iridocyclitis, and requires immediate medical attention. These ailments can both develop independently, and arise as a complication of influenza, tuberculosis, rheumatism, sinusitis, infections of various nature.
Examination of the patient begins with a visual examination of the cornea, checking visual acuity, position and size of the eyeball. In young children, with an eyeball injection, symptoms may be mild. Pericorneal injection with anterior uveitis has similar symptoms to keratitis.
Additionally, an examination of the eyeball is carried out using lighting by a combined method (front and side). If there are endometrium of the cornea (glued spots of a certain pigment) pay attention to their shape, shade and size. Having examined them, we can talk about the nature of the pathological process.
Keratitis and its causes
Keratitis is an inflammatory process that affects the cornea of the eye. The cause of the development of the disease can be a bacterial, viral or fungal infection, a reaction to an allergen, metabolic disorders and chemical factors. There are keratitis of exogenous and endogenous origin.
The exogenous origin of keratitis occurs when:
- erosion that has spread to the cornea;
- traumatic illness;
- infectious keratitis caused by exposure to certain bacteria;
- keratitis, the development of which was led by conjunctivitis.
Endogenous keratitis includes:
- infectious (syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria);
- neurogenic (can occur with burns);
- vitamin, which arise due to a lack of vitamins of group A, as well as B1, B2 and C;
- pathology of unknown etiology.
Symptoms of keratitis
Pericorneal injection indicates the presence of an inflammatory disease of the cornea, which most often occurs with keratitis. The effect of membrane formation on the eyeball is the first and early symptom of the disease.
With the development of the inflammatory process on the cornea, regardless of the origin (endogenous or exogenous), photophobia, increased lacrimation and blepharospasm, that is, a feeling that a foreign body has entered the eye, are felt. Such symptomatology is called a horn-like symptom and is provoked by the internal protective properties of the eyeball.
If the irritation is really caused by a foreign body entering the eye, then it is washed away with the help of tears, and the wound is cleaned and disinfected.
An objective examination of the damaged eye may reveal the following symptoms of keratitis: pericorneal injection of blood vessels (eye damage), inflammatory infiltration (may be diffuse or focal), changes in the properties of the cornea and the growth of newly formed vessels.
Complaints of eye pain indicate corneal erosion. In this case, pain may be given to the head.
Pericorneal injection of blood vessels
Such symptoms occur in the early stages of the development of inflammation in the cornea. Redness occurs diffuse in the form of the formation of a pink-cyanotic corolla. This is called the first stage of keratitis.
The term "pericorneal injection" corresponds to redness of the cornea in a certain place or around the entire circumference, depending on the size of the focus of inflammation. Also, irritation that affects the conjunctival vessels can join the injection. In this case, mixed eye hyperemia occurs.
At the first stage, infiltration is focal in most cases. The points on the cornea can be located in different places and have a diverse structure. Most often, the outbreak boundaries do not have clear outlines.
The hue depends on the cellular composition: gray color with low leukocyte infiltration, a yellowish hue indicates the presence of pus. The structure of the cornea also changes. It becomes rough, natural shine disappears and transparency is violated. As the inflammatory process develops, sensitivity gradually disappears, not only in the affected eye, but also on a healthy eyeball.
After a few days, vessels begin to grow in the direction of infiltrate. Initially, they contribute to the healing and restoration of the cornea, but in the absence of appropriate treatment, they reduce the quality of vision.
The second stage of development of the disease is characterized by necrotic processes developing in the cornea. It all depends on the body's ability to withstand pathogenic bacteria and infection. So, in some, the ulcer can spread only to a small area of the cornea, while in others, the cornea melts within a few hours, penetrating wide and deep. The progression of the process is indicated by the presence of one undercut edge with an overhanging bubble.
Diagnosis of keratitis
It is possible to diagnose an ailment such as keratitis without complex manipulations. The cornea itself is available for inspection. Moreover, such a symptom as pericorneal injection indicates a disease in the early stages of eyeball inflammation.
It is more difficult here to determine the cause of the origin of the pathology. For this, laboratory methods and clinical tests are used to confirm or exclude the source of infection.
If there is no clouding in the cornea, its sphere is smooth and shiny, while sensitivity is not disturbed, keratitis is excluded. It is more difficult to understand if keratitis was already in the eye.
Pericorneal injection in combination with corneal syndrome indicates only the presence of inflammation, and keratitis or iridocyclitis is determined by differential diagnosis.
In the presence of herpetic or neurogenic keratitis, the sensitivity of not only an eye affected by inflammation, but also a healthy eyeball decreases. If the disease is caused by endogenous keratitis, then inflammation develops rapidly, surface layers are affected, erosion is formed. With an exogenous ailment, the course of the disease is longer, the deep, and not the superficial membranes are most often affected.
Conclusion
Due to the influence of negative factors from the outside, the cornea of the eye is prone to inflammation most often. In the early stages, it manifests itself as inflammation, that is, pericorneal injection of blood vessels. In order to determine the source of the lesion, as well as the stage of development of the disease, a comprehensive diagnosis of the cornea is carried out, starting with a visual examination of the eyeball and ending with clinical studies. Launched pathology can lead to loss of visual function, therefore, it is not worth starting or delaying treatment if any discomfort occurs.