Diseases and injuries of the eye : their medical and surgical treatment / by George Lawson.

  • George Lawson
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseases and injuries of the eye : their medical and surgical treatment / by George Lawson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    52/444 (page 34)
    the upper lid. A stick of nitrate of silver moistened with water, drawn twice or three times across the skin of the iipjier lid, is a good counter-irritant, and sometimes does much good in relieving excessive photophoLia; it must be applied very catdioudy, as when it is laid on too thickly it will blister, or even produce a slough of the skin, and in addition it is very painfid. If the applica- tion of the iodine or the nitrate of silver affords relief, it may be repeated at intervals of a few days or a week. DiPFUSB SuppuBATivE CoRXETTis is gcuerall}' the result of an injury such as a contused or lacerated wound of the cornea, but it may also come on from constitutional causes. It may follow any operation on the eye in which the cornea is involved; and it is one of the most fatal terminations of the operations for cataract. The state of health of the patient at the time of the injury determines very much the form of the inilammation which maj' arise from it. A sim]3le incised wound or an abrasion of the coi'uea, fi-om which a strong healthy j^erson would pi'o- bably recover without an nntoward symptom in a few days, may be sufficient to induce in an unhealthy patient a diffuse suiDpurative corneitis which will destroy the eye. Symptoms.—The cornea grows dull and steamy; pus is effused between its lamellaB, at first ouly in a small quan- tity at one siDot, but it soon increases and diffuses itself throughout the corneal structure. In severe cases I have seen the whole tissue of the cornea pervaded with pus, but in the slighter ones it is generally confined to one part. The eye is hot and painful; there is great congestion of the conjunctival and sclerotic vessels ; dread of light, and lachrymation. The deeper parts of the eye participate in the inflammation, the iris loses its mobility, the aqueous becomes serous, and pus is effused into the anterior cnamber (hypopion). The piTS between the layers of the cornea now makes an exit for itself, and this it does by progi'essive ulceration either anteriorly towards the surface, or posteriorly^ into the anterior chamber. In the majorit}'- of cases the cor- neal abscess bursts anteriorly, and a sloughing-lookiug ulcer is left. Bssnlts nf Si<ji]nirative Gorveifis.—If the whole cornea has been iuvolved in a dift'use suppurative inflammation, and pus has been eflused throughout the whole or greater