If you are a frequent wearer of content lenses, you may have experienced red veins in your eyes. Redness of the eyes is not uncommon even the next day after tiredness or drinking. This redness may appear temporarily due to dry eye syndrome, but caution is required as it may be a ‘corneal neovascularization’ that permanently forms red blood vessels.
So, what causes ‘corneal neovascularization’? The cause of ‘corneal neovascularization’ is a side effect of ‘dry eye syndrome’. The cornea, which receives oxygen through the circulation of tears and air contact, has no original blood vessels. However, when the eyeball runs out of tears, the eyeball creates abnormal ‘new blood vessels’ to receive oxygen on its own.
‘Corneal neovascularization’ can be seen as a defensive action due to the lack of oxygen in the eye, but there is another reason why such new blood vessels in the cornea are a problem. This is because abnormally formed new blood vessels are thinner and weaker than normal blood vessels, so they are easily damaged and can cause bleeding or oozing.
Abnormal bleeding and oozing can cause the cornea to become cloudy, causing objects to look distorted, and can lead to vision loss. In addition, if the new blood vessels that grow from the edge of the cornea are left unattended, it is more likely to spread to the center of the cornea and impair vision.
In order to prevent corneal neovascularization, it is best to alleviate the symptoms of ‘dry eye syndrome’. There is no clear treatment for dry eye syndrome, so it is important to change your lifestyle. It is recommended to refrain from looking at a smartphone or PC screen for a long time as it can worsen dry eye syndrome, and frequent use of artificial tears is helpful in alleviating dry eye syndrome.