The correct diagnosis is recurrent corneal erosion, or recurrent erosion syndrome, a painful corneal condition wherein the epithelium spontaneously erodes, leaving a defect.
The erosion occurs most commonly in the early morning, when the patient first awakens and opens his or her eyes. Patients experience a sharp pain in the affected eye followed by a foreign body sensation, redness, photophobia, and tearing that may last from several minutes to hours. If the corneal erosion is in the visual axis, the vision will be reduced in the affected eye.
These episodes may occur with a daily, weekly, or random pattern. Eyes that have had corneal trauma, such as an abrasion or surgery, are also prone to developing this condition.
There may or may not be evidence of the defect on fluorescein examination. Epithelial defects from recurrent corneal erosions tend to heal quickly, sometimes leaving no evidence of injury. Very often, the erosion is healed by the time the patient is seen in the office or emergency room, and diagnosis has to be made on history alone. Many patients have a predisposing corneal condition leading to the recurrent corneal erosion.
Case presented by Logical Images, Inc.
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