Keratoconjunctivitis is
inflammation ("-itis") of the
cornea and
conjunctiva.
When only the
cornea is inflamed, it is called ''
keratitis''; when only the
conjunctiva is inflamed, it is called ''
conjunctivitis''.
Causes
There are several potential causes of the inflammation:
*
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca is used when the inflammation is due to dryness. ("Sicca" means "dryness" in medical contexts.) It occurs with 20% of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
* The term "
vernal keratoconjunctivitis
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC, also Spring catarrh, Vernal catarrh or Warm weather conjunctivitis) is a recurrent, bilateral, and self-limiting type of conjunctivitis (pink eye) having a periodic seasonal incidence.
Vernal keratopathy
Corneal ...
" (VKC) is used to refer to keratoconjunctivitis occurring in
spring, and is usually considered to be due to
allergens.
* "Atopic keratoconjunctivitis" is one manifestation of
atopy.
* "Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis" is caused by an
adenovirus
Adenoviruses (members of the family ''Adenoviridae'') are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (without an outer lipid bilayer) viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double-stranded DNA genome. Their name derives from the ...
infection.
* "
Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis" (IBK) is a disease affecting cattle caused by the bacteria ''
Moraxella bovis
''Moraxella bovis'' is a Gram-negative, aerobic, oxidase-positive rod-shaped bacterium. It is the cause of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis, a contagious ocular disease of cattle,George M. Garrity: '' Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacterio ...
''.
* "Pink eye in sheep and goat" is another infectious keratoconjunctivitis of
veterinary concern, mostly caused by ''
Chlamydophila pecorum
''Chlamydia pecorum'', also known as Chlamydophila pecorum is a species of Chlamydiaceae that originated from ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats. It has also infected koalas and swine. ''C. pecorum'' strains are serologically and pathog ...
.''
* "
Superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis
Superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis (SLK, Théodore's syndrome) is a disease of the eye characterized by episodes of recurrent inflammation of the superior cornea and limbus, as well as of the superior tarsal and bulbar conjunctiva. It was first ...
" is thought to be caused by mechanical trauma.
* "Keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica" (
arc eye) means inflammation caused by photoelectric UV light. It is a type of
ultraviolet keratitis
Photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis is a painful eye condition caused by exposure of insufficiently protected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays from either natural (e.g. intense sunlight) or artificial (e.g. the electric arc during welding) ...
. Such UV exposure can be caused by arc
welding without wearing protective eye glass, or by high altitude exposure from sunlight reflected from snow ("
snow blindness"). The inflammation will only appear after about 6 to 12 hours. It can be treated by rest, as the inflammation usually heals after 24–48 hours. Proper eye protection should be worn to prevent keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica.
References
External links
eMedicine – on Atopic keratoconjunctivitis
Inflammations
Disorders of sclera and cornea
Disorders of conjunctiva
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