- Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Back Pain
- Brain Aneurysm
- Brain Tumors
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Childhood Brain Tumors
- Delirium
- Dementia
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Ischemic Stroke
- Memory
- Meningitis
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Movement Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuroblastoma
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome
- Speech and Language Problems in Children
- Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack
- Tremor
- Walking Problems
- West Nile Virus
- A1C
- Blood Glucose
- Diabetes
- Diabetes and Pregnancy
- Diabetes Complications
- Diabetes in Children and Teens
- Diabetes Medicines
- Diabetes Type 1
- Diabetes Type 2
- Diabetic Diet
- Diabetic Eye Problems
- Diabetic Foot
- Diabetic Heart Disease
- Diabetic Kidney Problems
- Diabetic Nerve Problems
- How to Prevent Diabetes
- Hyperglycemia
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Prediabetes
- Abortion
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Diseases
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breastfeeding
- Cervical Cancer
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Cesarean Delivery
- Childbirth
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Female Infertility
- Health Problems in Pregnancy
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
- HIV and Pregnancy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- HPV
- Hysterectomy
- Infections and Pregnancy
- Mammography
- Mastectomy
- Menopause
- Menstruation
- Miscarriage
- Ovarian Cancer
- Ovarian Cysts
- Ovarian Disorders
- Pelvic Floor Disorders
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Pelvic Pain
- Period Pain
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Drug Use
- Pregnancy and Opioids
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Prenatal Care
- Prenatal Testing
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
- Sexual Problems in Women
- Stillbirth
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Trichomoniasis
- Tubal Ligation
- Uterine Cancer
- Uterine Diseases
- Uterine Fibroids
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vaginal Diseases
- Vaginitis
- Vulvar Cancer
- Vulvar Disorders
- Yeast Infections
- Alcohol
- Calcium
- Child Nutrition
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Medicines
- DASH Eating Plan
- Eating Disorders
- Food Allergy
- HDL: The “Good” Cholesterol
- High Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- How to Lower Cholesterol
- How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
- Infant and Newborn Nutrition
- LDL: The “Bad” Cholesterol
- Malabsorption Syndromes
- Nutrition for Older Adults
- Pregnancy and Nutrition
- Toddler Nutrition
- Triglycerides
- VLDL Cholesterol
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Ataxia Telangiectasia
- Brain Malformations
- Cerebral Palsy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
- Chiari Malformation
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Color Blindness
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Craniofacial Abnormalities
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Friedreich Ataxia
- Genetic Counseling
- Hemophilia
- Huntington’s Disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Neural Tube Defects
- Neurofibromatosis
- Newborn Screening
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Pregnancy and Medicines
- Rett Syndrome
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Tourette Syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
- Usher Syndrome
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Allergy
- Animal Bites
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Aplastic Anemia
- Asthma
- Asthma in Children
- Childhood Leukemia
- Childhood Vaccines
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- COVID-19 Vaccines
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Eosinophilic Disorders
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Hay Fever
- HIV
- HIV and Infections
- HIV in Women
- Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Mononucleosis
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kawasaki Disease
- Lymphedema
- Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Pemphigus
- Pneumocystis Infections
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Tonsillitis
- Vaccines
- Viral Infections
- Adhesions
- Ankle Injuries and Disorders
- Arm Injuries and Disorders
- Back Injuries
- Brachial Plexus Injuries
- Burns
- Chest Injuries and Disorders
- Concussion
- CPR
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dislocations
- Elbow Injuries and Disorders
- Eye Injuries
- Facial Injuries and Disorders
- Finger Injuries and Disorders
- Foot Injuries and Disorders
- Fractures
- Hand Injuries and Disorders
- Heel Injuries and Disorders
- Hip Injuries and Disorders
- Inhalation Injuries
- Insect Bites and Stings
- Jaw Injuries and Disorders
- Knee Injuries and Disorders
- Leg Injuries and Disorders
- Mosquito Bites
- Neck Injuries and Disorders
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sprains and Strains
- Tick Bites
- Toe Injuries and Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Wrist Injuries and Disorders
- Acute Bronchitis
- Bird Flu
- Chronic Bronchitis
- COPD
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)
- Croup
- E-Cigarettes
- Fistulas
- Flu
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
- H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
- Legionnaires’ Disease
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
- Sleep Apnea
- Smoking
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping Cough
- Anatomy
- Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Birth Control
- Chlamydia Infections
- Circumcision
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Genital Herpes
- Genital Warts
- Gonorrhea
- Herpes Simplex
- Infertility
- Male Infertility
- Penis Disorders
- Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Prostate Diseases
- Reproductive Hazards
- Sexual Health
- Sexual Problems in Men
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Syphilis
- Testicular Cancer
- Testicular Disorders
- Vasectomy
- Abdominal Pain
- Bad Breath
- Bleeding
- Breathing Problems
- Bruises
- Chest Pain
- Choking
- Chronic Pain
- Constipation
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness and Vertigo
- Edema
- Fainting
- Fever
- Frostbite
- Gas
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Heat Illness
- Hives
- Hypothermia
- Indigestion
- Itching
- Jaundice
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Pain
- Rare Diseases
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Sciatica
- Speech and Communication Disorders
- Stuttering
Corneal Disorders
Summary
Your cornea is the outermost layer of your eye. It is clear and shaped like a dome. The cornea helps to shield the rest of the eye from germs, dust, and other harmful matter. It also helps your eye to focus. If you wear contact lenses, they float on top of your corneas.
Problems with the cornea include:
- Refractive errors
- Allergies
- Infections
- Injuries
- Dystrophies – conditions in which parts of the cornea lose clarity due to a buildup of cloudy material
Treatments of corneal disorders include medicines, corneal transplantation, and corneal laser surgery.
NIH: National Eye Institute
National Eye Institute
Find an Expert
- American Foundation for the Blind American Foundation for the Blind
- American Optometric Association American Optometric Association
- Find an Ophthalmologist American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Finding an Eye Doctor National Eye Institute
- National Eye Institute National Eye Institute
Specifics
- Bacterial Keratitis American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Corneal Abrasions American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
- Corneal Laceration American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Fuchs’ Dystrophy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Fungal Keratitis American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Herpes Keratitis American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Keratoconus Frequently Asked Questions National Keratoconus Foundation
- Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Merck & Co., Inc.
- What Is a Pinguecula and a Pterygium (Surfer’s Eye)? American Academy of Ophthalmology
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Corneal Diseases National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Corneal Injuries National Institutes of Health
Patient Handouts
- Cloudy cornea Medical Encyclopedia
- Corneal injury Medical Encyclopedia
- Corneal transplant Medical Encyclopedia
- Corneal ulcers and infections Medical Encyclopedia
- Fuchs dystrophy Medical Encyclopedia
- Keratoconus Medical Encyclopedia
Genetics
- Complete LCAT deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Congenital stromal corneal dystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Fish-eye disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Fuchs endothelial dystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Keratoconus: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Lattice corneal dystrophy type I: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Lattice corneal dystrophy type II: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Meesmann corneal dystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Peters anomaly: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Peters plus syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- Cornea Transplant Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Keratoconus Treatment Options National Keratoconus Foundation
Images
- Corneal Abrasion VisualDX
- Corneal Foreign Body VisualDX
- Corneal transplant – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
Children
- Corneal Abrasions (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
Start Here
- Corneal Conditions National Eye Institute
Encyclopedia
- Corneal transplant – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
- Fluorescein eye stain Medical Encyclopedia
- Interstitial keratitis Medical Encyclopedia
Related Issues
- Corneal Ulcer (Keratitis) American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Dry Eye National Eye Institute
- Eye Infections from Contact Lenses American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Shingles American Academy of Family Physicians
Diagnosis and Tests
- Dilating Eye Drops American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
- Eye Problems: Symptom Checker Flowchart American Academy of Family Physicians
Statistics and Research
- Eye Health Data and Statistics National Eye Institute
Symptoms
- Eye Symptoms American Academy of Ophthalmology
Reference Desk
- How the Eyes Work National Eye Institute