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Medical Author:

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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In this Article

• What is a corneal ulcer?
• What does a corneal ulcer look like?
• What are the causes of a corneal ulcer?
• What are corneal ulcer symptoms?
• What are corneal ulcer signs?
• How is a corneal ulcer diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for a corneal ulcer?
• What is the healing time for a corneal ulcer?
• Can corneal ulcers be prevented?
• Corneal Ulcer At A Glance
• Find a local Doctor in your town
• Corneal Ulcer Index

A corneal ulcer may cause redness, pain, a feeling that something is in the eye, tearing, and pus or thick discharge draining from the eye. Vision might be blurry, and there may be an increase in pain when the person looks at bright lights.

An ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases) may notice signs of inflammation (redness) in the conjunctiva of the eye and in the anterior chamber of the eye. The eyelids may be swollen, and a white or gray round spot on the cornea could be visible with the naked eye if the ulcer is large. The ulcer itself will appear gray or gray-white in color, and have a certain density, size, and depth. The ulcer may be central in the cornea or marginal, at the outer edge of the cornea. There may be swelling (edema) of the cornea around the ulcer. There may be scarring from prior corneal ulcers. There may be a single (or multiple ulcers) in the eye, and ulcers may be present in one or both eyes.

The presence of a corneal ulcer can be diagnosed by an ophthalmologist (and other medical caregivers) through an eye examination. The ophthalmologist will be able to detect an ulcer by using a special eye microscope known as a slit lamp. To make the ulcer easier to see, the medical caregiver will put a drop containing the dye fluorescein into the eye. If the caregiver thinks that an infection is responsible for the ulcer, then samples of the ulcer may be sent to the laboratory for identification of bacteria, fungi, or viruses. Certain bacteria, such as Pseudomonas spp., may cause a corneal ulcer which is rapidly progressive.