The cornea is the clear dome at the front of the eye. It lets light in and does most of the eye's focusing, so anything that scratches, clouds or reshapes it affects vision. These pages cover the corneal problems seen most often and how they are treated. Corneal transplants, cross-linking and specialty contact lenses are provided by cornea and contact lens specialists; your eye doctor will refer you when one is needed.
Conditions
Corneal Scratches
A scratched cornea (corneal abrasion): why it hurts so much, how it heals, what treatment involves, and the erosions that can come back months later. With an animation.
Pterygium and Pinguecula
Growths on the white of the eye from sun and wind: what a pinguecula and a pterygium are, when they need treatment, and what pterygium surgery and recovery involve. With an animation.
Fuchs Dystrophy
Fuchs dystrophy: why the cornea swells and vision is foggy in the morning, how it is followed, what salt drops do, how it affects cataract surgery, and the partial-thickness transplant that treats it. With an animation.
Keratoconus
Keratoconus: a cornea that thins and bulges into a cone, usually starting in the teens or twenties. Symptoms, how it is found, cross-linking to stop it, and the contact lenses that restore vision. With an animation.
Corneal Infections
Infections of the cornea (keratitis and corneal ulcers): the warning signs, why contact lens wearers are at risk, herpes and shingles in the eye, how infections are treated, and how to prevent them.
Surgery
Other topics
Glaucoma
What glaucoma is, how it is tested and followed, and what to expect from drops, laser and surgery.
Cataract
Cataract surgery from first visit to recovery, and the laser that clears a cloudy capsule afterward.
Dry Eye
Why eyes feel dry, gritty or watery, the eyelid problems behind most dry eye, and what helps, from lid care and artificial tears to prescription drops and plugs. Also watery eyes and eye allergy.
Retina
Flashes and floaters, retinal tears and detachment, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, and what to expect from injections, laser and vitrectomy.
Vision Simulators
See what eye conditions do to everyday scenes, and what a glasses prescription means, on your own screen.