Model and designer Laura Ponte suffered a corneal puncture that left her without vision in one eye.
The cornea is the armor of our eyes. is the hard and transparent layer who protects him. A curved layer to concentrate the light rays and that we have good vision. is the lens for focusing the image on the retina.
the cornea is relatively hard, as proof that it resists rubbing (which should not be done) when you are tired and have irritated eyes. But one sharp object you can pierce it.
He lived it in the first person model and designer Laura Pontewho suffered the perforation of the cornea and left him no vision in one eye waiting to be operated.
causes of corneal perforation
“The perforation can be caused by an accident at work or at home.if the object is sharp. I don’t know the exact reason why it happened to Laura Ponte“, explains the doctor Ramón Ruiz Mesa, member of the Board of Directors of the Andalusian Society of Ophthalmology.
A small sharp object, even a stone, can puncture a layer of the cornea
This can happen in some risky tasks, such as chop wood or carving stone, which requires the wearing of protective eyewear. But sometimes it’s because of a less obvious danger, like to mow the lawn or you plant a skewer.
The usual is a corneal ulcerwhich is a small injury (sometimes not even suddenly, but by a virus or bacteria), or a abrasion, which is a little more serious. If a more or less deep cut is made, we are already talking about laceration.
we have several layers in the cornea and it is necessary to identify at what level the problem is, if it was in more superficial or arrive at deeper layers.
what to do in case of corneal injury
This is a problem that requires emergency ophthalmologist visit. “If it is not dealt with quickly and adequately, it is the infection key which can affect the integrity of the entire eyeballwarns Dr. Ruiz Mesa. “You can get to induce evisceration(the loss of the eye).
The first ones steps we need to follow son:
- don’t touch anything or attempt to remove the object which caused us the perforation.
- Sure, no eye rubbing As much as it annoys and hurts. Don’t rinse either with water.
- protect the eye immediately without pressing it. The bottom of a paper cup might do the trick.
- Do not take ibuprofen or other painkillers anti-inflammatories, which are blood thinners and can cause bleeding.
How is laceration treated?
The emergency ophthalmologist will be the one who will provide us anesthetic drops to calm the pain and be able to observe the gaze.
The first step will be close the cut with a few stitchess and thus help prevent possible infection. will place us a eye patch.
we need to act depending on the damage observed. It is very likely that a new intervention will be necessary to carry out a cornea transplant. This type of transplant is called keratoplasty.
It is not always the whole cornea that is transplanted, but the damaged layers, which reduces the risk of rejection
Much progress has been made in this regard. “Of the whole cornea is not always transplanted en bloc, who had the usual problems of corneal rejection from the donor“says Dr. Ruiz Mesa.
That is why it is necessary to assess which layers have been damaged. “In the lamellar keratoplasty we only remove the layers that are wrong and we only transplant what is needed», Specifies the ophthalmologist.
What is the prognosis for ocular recovery
With lamellar keratoplasty, a 25% corneal rejection rate went from 35% to only between 1% and 10%.
Full perfect vision is not regained. The success rate of the operation is high, although still there will be sequels. You won’t see as well as with the other eye.
Moreover, they must take extreme precautions with the operated eye. It has also been greatly improved postoperativebut there is a risk thatan impact on the eye opens the mesh”. This extreme precaution must be maintained for a few months.
- Additionally, the patient should be treated with antibiotics and corticosteroids to avoid infections and postoperative problems.
If it’s a active and sporty personmust have Protective glasses still. This eye is going to be one of the most delicate parts of your body and it will have to prevent him from any other blow.