What Causes the Cornea to Thicken?
MAY 20, 2013
Question:
What causes the cornea to thicken?
Answer:
The most common cause of a cornea that thickens over time is edema or swelling. Think of the cornea as a five-layered sandwich. The inner layer, the corneal endothelium, acts as a barrier to the water-like fluid inside the eye (aqueous humor) from entering the cornea and causing swelling of the cornea. We are all born with a given population of these protective cells. Their population decreases with aging, some eye diseases, and as a result of trauma.