What is the Difference Between Xerophthalmia and Keratomalacia

The key difference between xerophthalmia and keratomalacia is that xerophthalmia is a group of conditions that affect the eye, predominantly causing dry eyes, while keratomalacia is a condition that affects the eye, predominantly causing cloudiness and softening in the cornea.

Xerophthalmia and keratomalacia are two associated conditions that affect the eye. Xerophthalmia is a term for a group of eye problems that occur due to not getting enough vitamin A, which lead to dry eyes. Keratomalacia is the softening of the cornea. Keratomalacia is grouped under xerophthalmia. Keratomalacia is like a subset of xerophthalmia. This is because keratomalacia often starts as xerophthalmia.

CONTENTS

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

What is Xerophthalmia?

Xerophthalmia is a group of conditions that affect the eye. It predominantly causes dry eyes. It is a term for a group of eye problems that occur due to not getting enough vitamin A. The signs and symptoms of this condition include night blindness, conjunctival xerosis, bitot’s spots (foamy, light gray patches), corneal xerosis, corneal ulcers, keratomalacia, and xerophthalmic fundus. Vitamin A deficiency causes xerophthalmia. Vitamin A is important to the vision in two ways; for maintaining moisture and for pigments in the eye. People may lack vitamin A because they don’t get vitamin A enough through their diet or because they cannot use vitamin A effectively.

Xerophthalmia can be diagnosed through complete medical history, complete eye examination, clinical signs, blood tests, night vision tests, dark adaptation testing, impression cytology, and electroretinogram. Furthermore, treatment options for xerophthalmia may include vitamin A supplements, using artificial tears, and topical antibiotics for infections.

What is Keratomalacia ?

Keratomalacia is a condition that affects the eye. It predominantly causes cloudiness and softening in the cornea. Most of the time, this eye disease starts as xerophthalmia, which is the severe dryness of the cornea and conductive. Therefore, it is like a subset of xerophthalmia. Conjunctiva is the thin mucus membrane that covers the inside of the eyelid and the front of the eyeball. Once conjunctiva dries, it thickens, wrinkles, and becomes cloudy. On the other hand, the cornea softens. This ultimately results in keratomalacia. Low dietary intake or a deficiency of vitamin A is the cause of keratomalacia. This condition is more common in developing countries. The symptoms of this condition may include night blindness, extreme dryness of the eyes, cloudiness in the corneas, bitot’s spots (foamy, light gray patches), or build-up of debris that normally lodge in the conjunctiva.

Moreover, keratomalacia can be diagnosed through a complete eye examination, blood tests, and electroretinography. Furthermore, treatment options for keratomalacia may include vitamin A consumption, lubricating and antibiotic eye drops or ointments, and a surgery called keratoplasty.

What are the Similarities Between Xerophthalmia and Keratomalacia?

• Xerophthalmia and keratomalacia are two associated conditions that affect the eye.
• Keratomalacia is often grouped under xerophthalmia.
• Keratomalacia is like a subset of xerophthalmia.
• Both conditions are caused by vitamin A deficiency.
• They can lead to infections in the eye.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through an eye examination and blood tests.
• They can be treated through vitamin A supplementation, lubricating, and antibiotic eye drops.

What is the Difference Between Xerophthalmia and keratomalacia?

Xerophthalmia predominantly causes dry eyes, while keratomalacia predominantly causes cloudiness and softening in the cornea. Thus, his is the key difference between xerophthalmia and keratomalacia. Furthermore, xerophthalmia is a more common condition than keratomalacia.

The below infographic presents the differences between xerophthalmia and keratomalacia in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Xerophthalmia vs Keratomalacia

Xerophthalmia and keratomalacia are two associated conditions that affect the eye. This is because keratomalacia is like a subset of xerophthalmia, and both conditions are caused due to lack of vitamin A. However, xerophthalmia mainly causes dry eyes. On the other hand, keratomalacia predominantly causes cloudiness and softening in the cornea. So, this summarizes the difference between xerophthalmia and keratomalacia.

Reference:

1. Frothingham, Scott. “Keratomalacia: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment.” Healthline, Healthline Media.
2. “Xerophthalmia: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Keratomalacia.” By Community Eye Health (CC BY-NC 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Advanced Xerophthalmia – Keratomalacia.” By Community Eye Health (CC BY-NC 2.0) via Flickr