Punctate epithelial erosions are a pathology affecting the

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical ...

Signs and symptoms

It is a characterized by a breakdown or damage of the epithelium of the

in a pinpoint pattern, which can be seen with examination with a

slit-lamp A slit lamp is an instrument consisting of a high-intensity light source that can be focused to shine a thin sheet of light into the eye. It is used in conjunction with a biomicroscope. The lamp facilitates an examination of the anterior segm ...

. Patients may present with

non-specific symptom Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showin ...

s such as red eye, tearing, foreign body sensation,

photophobia Photophobia is a medical symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of ...

and burning.

Cause

Punctate epithelial erosions may be seen with different disorders: *Rosacea * Dry-eye syndrome *

Blepharitis Blepharitis is one of the most common ocular conditions characterized by inflammation, scaling, reddening, and crusting of the eyelid. This condition may also cause swelling, burning, itching, or a grainy sensation when introducing foreign objects ...

* Acute bacterial conjunctivitis *Trauma *

Exposure keratopathy Exposure keratopathy (also known as exposure keratitis) is medical condition affecting the cornea of eyes. It can lead to corneal ulceration and permanent loss of vision due to corneal opacity. Normally, corneal surface is kept moist by blinkin ...

from poor eyelide closure *Ultraviolet or chemical burn *Contact lens-related disorder such as toxicity or tight lens syndrome *

Trichiasis Trichiasis ( , ) is a medical term for abnormally positioned eyelashes that grow back toward the eye, touching the cornea or conjunctiva. This can be caused by infection, inflammation, autoimmune conditions, congenital defects, eyelid agenesis and ...

Entropion Entropion is a medical condition in which the eyelid (usually the lower lid) folds inward. It is very uncomfortable, as the eyelashes continuously rub against the cornea causing irritation. Entropion is usually caused by genetic factors. This is d ...

ectropion Ectropion is a medical condition in which the lower eyelid turns outwards. It is one of the notable aspects of newborns exhibiting congenital Harlequin-type ichthyosis, but ectropion can occur due to any weakening of tissue of the lower eyelid ...

* Floppy eyelid syndrome *Chemotherapy i.e. cytosine arabinoside *

Thygeson's Superficial Punctate Keratopathy Thygeson's superficial punctate keratopathy (TSPK) is a disease of the eyes. The causes of TSPK are not currently known, but details of the disease were first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1950 by renowned America ...

Diagnosis

Slit lamp examination

Treatment

Due to the different underlying causes, proper diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis can only be determined by an eye care professional. Punctate epithelial erosions may be treated with artificial tears. In some disorders, topical

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy, ...

is added to the treatment. Patients should discontinue

contact lens Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic ...

wear until recovery.

References

{{Medicine Eye diseases