Keratomalacia
Encyclopedia
Keratomalacia is an eye
disorder that leads to a dry cornea
. One of its major causes is Vitamin A
deficiency. When xerophthalmia persists for a long time, it results in keratomalacia. There is degradation of corneal epithelium which may also get vascularised. Later corneal opacities develop. Bacterial infection leads to corneal ulceration, perforation of cornea, and total blindness.
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
disorder that leads to a dry cornea
Cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...
. One of its major causes is Vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
deficiency. When xerophthalmia persists for a long time, it results in keratomalacia. There is degradation of corneal epithelium which may also get vascularised. Later corneal opacities develop. Bacterial infection leads to corneal ulceration, perforation of cornea, and total blindness.