Is keratitis really contagious?

Keratitis is an inflammation caused by viral invasion. There are many types of keratitis, and many people want to know whether keratitis is contagious. Generally speaking, keratitis is not contagious, but conjunctivitis is contagious, but you still need to pay attention to eye care.

1. Is keratitis contagious?

Usually, keratitis may be an inflammation caused by many different factors. When we go to the ophthalmologist for examination, the categories may be different, but the examination results may be accompanied by blurred and dull cornea, incomplete skin inside, and ulcers. It is precisely because of the ulcers that keratitis will cause pain. This is different from conjunctivitis, which will not cause pain.

In fact, keratitis is generally not contagious, so healthy people can rest assured. If you are obsessed with cleanliness or are really afraid, you can choose not to share personal items such as towels, but you don't need to be so afraid psychologically. After all, there is a big difference between keratitis and conjunctivitis. Keratitis is not contagious, but conjunctivitis is. If there are patients with conjunctivitis around you, we must be careful not to share towels, and we must be very careful about other objects we come into contact with.

2. Viral keratitis is contagious

Generally speaking, viral keratitis infections are mostly caused by the virus lurking in the body's ganglia, and relapse when the body's immunity decreases, so the chance of mutual transmission is small. However, the treatment is relatively complicated, and repeated attacks can easily leave permanent scars on the cornea, leading to a significant decrease in vision. Therefore, this type of keratitis mainly relies on preventing attacks.

3. Others

Viral keratitis is a serious blinding eye disease, ranking first among corneal diseases causing blindness, and is often caused by the herpes simplex virus. It manifests as turbid spots on the corneal epithelium, which are connected into tree-like shapes and then expand into map-like shapes. After healing, shallow foggy scars are formed. It is often accompanied by iridocyclitis. It is prone to recurrence and seriously affects vision. Common viral keratitis in clinical practice includes herpes simplex keratitis, vaccinia keratitis, and herpes zoster keratitis.