EyeRounds Online Atlas of Ophthalmology

Contributor:
William Charles Caccamise Sr,MD, Retired Clinical Asst Prof of Ophthal. U.of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

Category: Oculoplastics
Diagnosis: keratitis e lagophthalmos with lateral tarsorraphy

Image Comments:

Keratitis e lagophthalmos is an exposure keratitis resulting from an inability to close the eyelids. In this case the inability was due to a facial paralysis. It is not easy to detect in this photo, but the patient did have a lateral tarsorraphy OD. Please note that the word " lagophthalmos " has an interesting etymological history. The word is unrelated to lag as in lid-lag. It is derived from the Greek lagos meaning hare and ophthalmos meaning eye.Supposedly, the hare sleeps with its eyes open.

 

 

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