Corneal opacity is a vision problem in which the cornea, the clear lens which covers the eye, develops opacity as a result of disease or injury. When people experience corneal opacity, their vision becomes obscured or clouded, and total vision loss can eventually be experienced. It is important to receive treatment for corneal opacity, and not to wait if vision problems are identified. Prompt treatment for vision problems increases the chance of a positive outcome.

A number of things can lead to corneal opacity, including eye injuries, disease processes such as ocular herpes, measles, or conjunctivitis, a vitamin A deficiency, or chronic irritation from poorly fitted contact lenses. Sometimes it may have a gradual onset, with damage occurring over an extended period of time so that patients do not necessarily recognize what is happening until it has progressed quite far. People with corneal opacity may start to notice fogging or clouding in their vision, or damage to the cornea may be identified during a routine vision exam.

If corneal opacity is identified, the first step in treatment is determining what caused the damage to the cornea. If the cause is an underlying disease process or an unaddressed issue such as contacts being worn too long, the doctor and patient can work together to resolve the cause and hopefully arrest the vision damage. The cornea may also recover and heal once the cause has been addressed and the eye has a chance to start healing without the risk of reinjury.

In cases where the cause appears to be an event in the past, such as an injury to the cornea which caused scarring, eye drops may be prescribed to ease irritation and promote healing of the eye. Sometimes eye drops are enough to resolve the corneal opacity. In some cases, surgery may be recommended if basic treatment measures do not work. Surgery for a full replacement of the cornea can also be performed in severe cases of corneal opacity.

A cornea transplant to address corneal opacity is usually regarded as a treatment of last resort after other methods have failed. In a cornea transplant, the patient receives a donor cornea from a cadaver, and experiences a return of clear vision. For patients who have dealt with corneal scarring as an ongoing problem over an extended period of time, receiving a transplant can feel like getting an entirely new eye as the scarred and fogged cornea is replaced.