Causes of Corneal Ulcers
Category | Examples |
|---|---|
Nontraumatic corneal abnormalities | Bullous keratopathy (ie, ruptured bullae) Mucous membrane pemphigoid (causes trichiasis and persistent corneal epithelial defects because of corneal epithelial stem cell failure) Herpes simplex keratitis, primary (viral) Herpes simplex keratitis, with secondary (eg, bacterial or fungal) superinfection Dry eyes, primary Dry eyes, secondary (eg, Sjogren syndrome) Neurotrophic keratitis Trachoma (with secondary trichiasis) |
Penetrating corneal trauma Corneal foreign body (rare) Contact lenses (most commonly when worn during sleep and/or inadequately disinfected) | |
Eyelid abnormalities | Incomplete eye closure (eg, due to inadequate eye closure [lagophthalmos], peripheral facial nerve palsy, eyelid defects after trauma, or exophthalmos) |
Nutritional deficiencies |