The condition known as neuropathic corneal pain makes your eyes, face, or head overly sensitive. Additionally, it harms them. Another name for this disease is corneal neuralgia. The precise origin of neuropathic corneal pain is unknown to doctors. They postulate that inflammation and corneal nerve injury are the causes. Your nervous system will not operate properly as a result of this combo.
Eye symptoms of neuropathic corneal pain include pain, sensitivity to light or air, foreign body sensation, burning, and severe dryness.
Not all symptoms only affect the eyes. The cornea and the areas surrounding the eye share a neural supply. Some people with this disease report experiencing head, face, or ear pain.
Dry eye disease is a common incorrect diagnosis for the condition. If unattended, it may result in excruciating pain that is incapacitating.
The signs of dry eye disease and neuropathic corneal pain can occasionally coexist. However, during an eye exam, people with neuropathic corneal pain could not exhibit dryness. Conventional dry eye treatments typically do not work for those with neuropathic corneal pain.
Neuropathic corneal pain can be brought on by any condition that affects the corneal nerve.
A few patients may experience the syndrome as a side effect of LASIK, cataract surgery, and other eye procedures.
Radiation therapy, prolonged contact lens wear, preservative toxicity, shingles, diabetes, trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic condition that causes face pain, and any systemic condition that might cause nerve injury can also induce neuropathic corneal pain.
Nerves that have been damaged typically heal on their own. However, untreated inflammation can increase the sensitivity of injured nerves. The damage and inflammation must be treated by both you and your ophthalmologist. If not, they may eventually cause the brain to send out improper messages. The pain that results is similar to the phantom pain felt by amputees.
Patients who already have neurological or psychiatric issues appear to have neuropathic corneal pain more frequently. These ailments include fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, chronic migraines, chronic headaches, anxiety, and depression.
When dry eye treatments and pain-relieving eye drops fail to alleviate symptoms, doctors suspect neuropathic corneal pain. They do confocal microscopy to diagnose it using a particular powerful microscope. An ophthalmologist or neurologist can observe abnormalities in the nerves with this microscope. These are special microscopes that many practises do not have. The technology is available in some academic centres and large multi-specialty private practices. You may need to travel to get this test.
Regenerating nerves and reducing inflammation, which increases nerve sensitivity, are the two goals of treatment for neuropathic corneal pain. Autologous serum tears, low-dose anti-inflammatory steroids, amniotic membrane lenses, neurostimulation, blue-filter glasses, systemic neuro-modulatory therapies, and topical recombinant corneal nerve growth factor are some examples of possible treatments.
At The Eye Center- Dr. Mahnaz Naveed Shah & Associates our team of eight ophthalmology subspecialists/ eye specialists, eye surgeons who are considered amongst the very best eye specialists in Karachi and in Pakistan, have the diagnostic and treatment capabilities to treat from the simplest to the most complex patients. We work hard to provide our patients with the best possible medical and surgical eye care, in a state of the art purpose built eye care facility. We offer the entire array of medical, laser and surgical treatments to help provide patients the best possible care in the most efficient, safe and ethical manner.
If you need an appointment, please contact us at 03041119544 during our working hours or leave us a WhatsApp message at +923028291799 and someone will connect with you. Walk-in appointments are also available for emergencies. We can also be reached through our web portal on www.surgicaleyecenter.org