Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about corneal abrasions. And you can find written notes on this topic at

zero to finals.com slash corneal abrasions or in the ophthalmology section of the second edition of the zero to finals medicine book.

And you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge

and help you remember the information for longer at members.0 tofinals.com.

So let's get straight into it.

Corneal abrasions are scratches or damage to the cornea at the front of the eye.

The cornea is the outer surface layer that sits in front of the anterior chamber,

the iris and the pupil.

Common causes of corneal abrasions include damaged contact lenses, fingernails,

foreign bodies, for example, metal fragments, tree branches, makeup brushes, and

Entropion, which is an inward turning eyelid.

Chemical abrasions, for example from acid, can cause severe damage and vision loss,

and these require immediate extensive irrigation to wash away the chemical and ophthalmology input.

Abrasions associated with contact lenses may involve pseudomonas infection.

An important differential diagnosis is herpes keratitis, which requires antiviral

treatment.

Let's talk about the presentation.

There's often a history of trauma to the eye,

followed by a painful red eye,

photophobia or discomfort with lights,

a foreign body sensation as though there's something stuck in the eye,

...