General EYE ADVICE

Eye Trauma, Infection and Dry Eye

Eye trauma related to employment and the home continues to be an important cause of unnecessary grief for many people in this age group as well. (Refer to Eye Trauma in Part IC). Some people who suffer a scratching of the cornea, may develop recurrent corneal erosion syndrome or recurrent damage of the corneal epithelium. This usually occurs upon opening the eyes after sleeping. The initial damage to the epithelium is often caused by a tree branch or a finger nail injury etc. The epithelium sometimes fails to heal properly and recurrence of the wound occurs up to several months later. I have found that that chronic infective conjunctivitis can contribute to the recurrence of this condition. The recurrent epithelial damage probably occurs due to adhesions created by the infective secretions, between the corneal surface and eyelids. Chronic infective conjunctivitis should thus be addressed in those people who are prone to recurrent corneal erosions.

Chronic conjunctivitis is a common finding in this age group as well for reasons that apply to the previous age group, with the added factor of drying of the eyes becoming more important. The symptoms of chronic infective conjunctivitis are exacerbated in the presence of dry eye. Menopause and other factors such as arthritis and certain medications tend to pre-dispose to dry eye problems.

As age increases, the symptoms of dry eye affect a greater proportion of the population. For a discussion on the causes and treatments available, see Part I (E) on dry eye.

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