Risk Factors For Xerophthalmia

The word xerophthalmia comes from the Ancient Greek and means, quite literally, dry eye. It is a medical state wherein the eye is failing to produce tears. While xerophthalmia can have vitamin A deficiency at its heart and is occasionally used in the description of that condition, the fact of the matter is there can be a variety of other causes. When it is caused by a severe lack of vitamin A, xerophthalmia consists of pathologic dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva. This latter becomes wrinkled, dry, and thick. If left untreated, this condition can lead ultimately to blindness with corneal ulceration along the way. Discover the risk factors for xerophthalmia now.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis largely affects the lungs, but can also impact the pancreas, kidneys, liver, and intestine. It is a genetic disorder with long-term issues including frequent lung infections, difficulty breathing, and coughing up mucus. Other symptoms include poor growth, sinus infections, fatty stool, male infertility, and clubbing of the toes and fingers. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and is diagnosed by genetic testing and a sweat test. Cystic fibrosis has no known cure. It has been known to present with a severe deficiency in vitamin A due to the combined malabsorption of the vitamin, poor compliance with dietary instructions, and probable inefficiency of metabolism of that particular vitamin in the liver. In such cases, cystic fibrosis presents with severe xerophthalmia; it necessitates the intramuscular administration of vitamin A to treat it.

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Thyroid Cancer Treatment

Cancer of the thyroid strikes in the thyroid's cells, which make up the gland shaped like a butterfly just below the Adam's apple. This gland is responsible for the production of hormones known to regulate blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and body temperature. Although this cancer is not particularly common in the United States, its rates appear to be increasing. This could be because of the improvement of technology permitting doctors to see smaller cancers that were not able to be detected in the past. Most cases can be cured with treatment. Thyroid cancer treatment consists of radioactive iodine therapy, however, can result in a lower rate of a patient's capacity for the absorption of vitamin A. Xerophthalmia can often follow.

Learn more about what increases an individual's risk of xerophthalmia now.