What is the Cornea?
The cornea is the clear window of the eye to the world. Anything that diminishes the clarity of this window will decrease the quality of vision. Dr. Gary Hirshfield in New Hyde Park is experienced in all aspects of medical and surgical corneal disease. The components of the cornea from the front to the back are the tear film, the epithelium, the stroma and the endothelium. For the cornea to be clear and give a clear image to the rest of the eye all of these components must function normally.
The most common abnormality of the cornea is a defect in the tear film or, so called, dry eye. Actually dry eye is a group of diseases that all lead to a defect in the tear film. Perhaps the most common problem is a condition called blepharitis. This condition takes many different forms but in almost all cases leads to symptoms of burning, crusting, redness, pain, discharge and abnormalities of the tear film and blurry vision. Our understanding of blepharitis has improved in recent years. The proper diagnosis can now lead to the appropriate combination of medication, nutritional and behavioral treatments that will alleviate or even eliminate these often very upsetting symptoms. Dry eye can also be caused by a lack of enough liquid tears. This is very common in postmenopausal women and people with inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis, although anyone can have a dry eye. Choosing the right therapy including the correct drops and supplements is an art as well as a science and is very well left to an experienced ophthalmologist.
