Band keratopathy affects the cornea, the front clear window of the eye. Band keratopathy is a calcium deposit that appears grayish with holes in the middle, like swiss cheese. It starts from the 9:00 and 3:00 edge of the cornea and works it's way toward the center. Rarely it can encroach on the visual axis, and in these cases it can be removed by a process called chelation.
Band keratopathy can be caused by anything that increases calcium in the body. Some of these are as follows: kidney disease, excessive vitamin D, high thyroid levels, sarcoidosis, lupus and Paget’s disease. Also there is calcium in the tears.
Band keratopathy can be associated with several other eye conditions including severe glaucoma, chronic uveitis, corneal dystrophies, and phtisis bulbi (shrunken eye from severe loss of vision).
In most situation band keratopathy has no symptoms. Occasionally it can cause redness, irritation, and vision loss, depending on how advanced it is.
Chelation is a process that uses a special chemical and an excimer laser to remove the deposits.
No comments:
Post a Comment