There are several potential causes of the inflammation: •
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca is used when the inflammation is due to dryness. ("Sicca" means "dryness" in medical contexts.) It occurs with 20% of rheumatoid arthritis patients. • The term "
vernal keratoconjunctivitis" (VKC) is used to refer to keratoconjunctivitis occurring in
spring, and is usually considered to be due to
allergens. • "Atopic keratoconjunctivitis" is one manifestation of
atopy. • "
Adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis, also known as epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, is caused by an
adenovirus infection. • "
Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis" (IBK) is a disease affecting cattle caused by the bacteria
Moraxella bovis. •
Phlyctenular keratoconjunctivitis is an inflammatory syndrome caused by a delayed (aka type-IV) hypersensitivity reaction to one or more antigens. • "Pink eye in sheep and goat" is another infectious keratoconjunctivitis of
veterinary concern, mostly caused by
Chlamydophila pecorum. • "
Superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis" is thought to be caused by mechanical trauma. • "Keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica" (
arc eye) means inflammation caused by photoelectric UV light. It is a type of
ultraviolet keratitis. Such UV exposure can be caused by arc
welding without wearing protective eye glass, or by high altitude exposure from sunlight reflected from snow ("
snow blindness"). The inflammation will only appear after about 6 to 12 hours. It can be treated by rest, as the inflammation usually heals after 24–48 hours. Proper eye protection should be worn to prevent keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica.
Viral keratoconjunctivitis Keratoconjunctivitis is frequently caused by viral infections in and around the eyes. A particularly common cause of this is the
herpes simplex virus. In some people, the infection may become
chronic and keratoconjunctivitis may present during flare-ups of variable frequency. Over time, these can result in the corneas becoming progressively more opaque, leading to
blindness. == References ==