Preface

This book provides a comprehensive overview of current ocular diagnostic methods, including their theoretical basis, practical approach, and usage in clinical practice, as well as recent advances in keratitis treatment methods.

The authors of the 2019 World Health Organization Report on Vision reported that at least 2.2 billion people globally have vision impairment; of these, at least one billion have an issue that could have been treated or prevented. Keratitis is still one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. In most cases, corneal diseases represent preventable or treatable ophthalmic diseases, therefore a comprehensive knowledge of epidemiology, causes, accurate diagnosis, and treatment of the multiple forms of keratitis is crucial in clinical practice.

The book underlines the role of ocular surface system homeostasis. The ocular surface system is composed of the surface and glandular epithelia of the cornea, conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, accessory lacrimal glands, and meibomian gland, and their apical (tears) and basal (connective tissue) matrices, the eyelashes with their associated glands of Moll and Zeis, those components of the eyelids responsible for the blink, and the nasolacrimal duct. All components of this vital system are linked functionally by continuity of the epithelia, by innervation, and by the endocrine, vascular, and immune systems. Ocular surface system homeostasis encompasses the causes, clinical forms, and methods of treatment of multiple diseases including non-infectious and infectious keratitis. Keratitis is a disease of many etiological factors, multiple forms, and different severity; therefore management and therapeutic options should be implemented according to disease form and severity.

The book's first section, discusses the practical approach to treating keratitis. Chapter 1 "Bacterial Keratitis" discusses bacterial keratitis. Chapter 2 "Infectious Keratitis after Surgery" examines potential infectious complications after refractive surgeries. Chapter 3 "Alternative Treatment Approaches in Bacterial Keratitis" reviews novel drug delivery systems, such as contact lenses for constant drug delivery, microemulsions, plasma and phage therapy, cross-linking, thymosin beta 4, novel implantable sustained-release antibacterial disc, and intrastromal injections with antibiotic agents.

The second section covers non-infectious keratitis. Chapter 4 "Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Associated with Autoimmune Diseases" presents a stepwise approach to diagnosing and treating peripheral ulcerative keratitis. Chapter 5 "Dry Eye Disease: Chronic Ocular Surface Inflammation" examines the role of ocular surface inflammation in dry eye disease pathogenesis.

The last book section discusses two essential issues related to keratitis: intraocular pressure measurements in Chapter 6 "Challenges of the Intraocular Pressure Measurements in the Keratitis" and prevention of corneal injury in sedated and

mechanically ventilated patients in Chapter 7 "Prevention of Corneal Injury in Critically Ill Sedated and Mechanically Ventilated Patients: Theoretical and Evidence-Based Practice".
