Eye Wear—Corneal Disorders

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

• 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)

Also called: Contact lenses, Eyeglasses

Eye wear protects or corrects your vision. Examples are

• Sunglasses
• Safety goggles
• Glasses (also called eyeglasses)
• Contact lenses

If you need corrective lenses, you may be able to choose between contacts or glasses. Either usually requires a prescription. Almost anyone can wear glasses. Contact lenses require more careful handling.

Many jobs and some sports carry a risk of eye injury. Thousands of children and adults get eye injuries every year. Most are preventable with proper eye protection. Everyone is at risk for eye damage from the sun year-round. It’s important to regularly use sunglasses that block out at least 99 percent of UV rays.