What is the Difference Between Corneal Ulcer and Corneal Opacity

The key difference between corneal ulcer and corneal opacity is that corneal ulcer is a medical condition that causes an open sore in the outer layer of the cornea, while corneal opacity is a medical condition that causes a loss of normal transparency of the cornea.

The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye. It is the clear domed-shaped protective layer. It covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Moreover, it allows light to enter inside eyes. There are different medical conditions that affect the cornea. Corneal ulcer and corneal opacity are two such medical conditions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Corneal Ulcer 
3. What is Corneal Opacity
4. Similarities – Corneal Ulcer and Corneal Opacity
5. Corneal Ulcer vs Corneal Opacity in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Corneal Ulcer vs Corneal Opacity

What is Corneal Ulcer?

A corneal ulcer is a medical condition that causes an open sore in the outer layer of the cornea. It is commonly caused by infections with bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Some common examples of these infections include acanthamoeba keratitis, fungal keratitis, and herpes simplex keratitis. Moreover, corneal ulcers can also be caused by eyelids that do not close all the way (in conditions like Bell palsy), foreign bodies in the eye, scratches on the eye surface, severe dry eyes, severe allergic eye disease, various inflammatory disorders and wearing soft contact lenses which are left in overnight. The symptoms of cornea ulcer include blurry or hazy vision, itching and discharges, sensitivity to light, very painful and watery eyes, and a white patch on the cornea.

Moreover, cornea ulcers can be diagnosed through exams of scaring from cornea ulcer, fluorescein stain of the cornea, keratometry, papillary reflex response, refraction test, slit lamp examination, tests for dry eyes, visual acuity test, and blood test. The treatment options for corneal ulcers include eye drops for bacteria, herpes and other viruses, fungi, and parasites, corticosteroid eye drops for swelling and inflammation, avoiding eye makeup, avoiding wearing contact lenses, taking pain medications, and wearing protective lenses.

What is Corneal Opacity?

Corneal opacity is a medical condition that causes loss of normal transparency of the cornea and is usually caused when the cornea is scarred. This condition stops the light from passing through the cornea to the retina. It may also cause the cornea to appear white or clouded over time. The common causes of corneal opacity include infections, injury, corneal abrasion, and swelling of the eye. The symptoms of corneal opacity are vision loss, pain or feeling something in the eye, redness in the eye, excessive tearing, light sensitivity cloudy, and a milk area on the eye that is not transparent.

Corneal opacity can be diagnosed by using drops to numb the eye and dilate pupils and by using a specialized microscope to examine the cornea and other structures. Furthermore, treatment options for corneal opacity include eye drops containing antibiotics, steroids, or both, oral medications (pain relievers), phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK), laser surgery, and cornea transplant.

What are the Similarities Between Corneal Ulcer and Corneal Opacity?

• Corneal ulcer and corneal opacity are two medical conditions that affect the cornea.
• Corneal ulcers can lead to corneal opacity.
• Both conditions can be caused by infections.
• They can have similar symptoms, such as eye swelling, vision loss, light sensitivity, etc.
• They can be treated through antibiotics or steroid eye drops and pain medications.

What is the Difference Between Corneal Ulcer and Corneal Opacity?

A corneal ulcer is a medical condition that causes an open sore in the outer layer of the cornea, while corneal opacity is a medical condition that causes loss of normal transparency of the cornea. Thus, this is the key difference between corneal ulcer and corneal opacity. Furthermore, the corneal ulcer is commonly caused by infections with bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, eyelids that do not close all the way, foreign bodies in the eye, scratches on the eye surface, severe dry eyes, severe allergic eye disease, various inflammatory disorders, and wearing soft contact lenses which are left in overnight. On the other hand, corneal opacity is caused by infections, injury, corneal abrasion, and swelling of the eye.

The below infographic presents the differences between corneal ulcer and corneal opacity in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Corneal Ulcer vs Corneal Opacity

The cornea is the transparent, protective front layer of the eye. Corneal ulcer and corneal opacity are two medical conditions in the cornea. In some instances, corneal ulcers can lead to corneal opacity. Corneal ulcer causes an open sore in the outer layer of the cornea. Corneal opacity causes loss of normal transparency of the cornea. So, this summarizes the difference between corneal ulcer and corneal opacity.

Reference:

1. “Corneal Ulcer.” Penn Medicine.org.
2.“Corneal Opacity.” UVA Health.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Corneal Ulcer” By Yoanmb – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Corneal opacity right eye 2” By Ajeeshkumar4u – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia