keratomalacia

[ker″ah-to-mah-la´she-ah]

softening and necrosis of the cornea associated with vitamin A deficiency.

ker·a·to·ma·la·ci·a

(ker'ă-tō-mă-lā'shē-ă),

Dryness with ulceration and perforation of the cornea, with absence of inflammatory reactions, occurring in cachectic children; results from severe vitamin A deficiency.

Synonym(s): xerotic keratitis

[kerato- + G. malakia, softness]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

ker·a·to·ma·la·ci·a

(ker'ă-tō-mă-lā'shē-ă)

Dryness with ulceration and perforation of the cornea occurring in cachectic children; results from severe vitamin A deficiency.

[kerato- + G. malakia, softness]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

keratomalacia

Softening or ‘melting’ of the cornea usually in severely malnourished children whose body stocks of vitamin A have become exhausted. Corneal melt leads to internal infection and irremediable blindness and this is the fate of millions of children every year in economically depressed parts of the world. A small regular dose of vitamin A, as from a few fleshy green leaves, will prevent this.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Keratomalacia

Keratomalacia is ulceration of the cornea.

Mentioned in: Vitamin A Deficiency

keratomalacia

Vitamin A deficiency in which the cornea becomes desiccated at first and then softens, at which stage it is associated with infiltration, pannus, necrosis, opacification and the eye becomes blind. There is also a lack of reaction to inflammation leading to a destruction of the eye if infection occurs. It is part of a general systemic condition due to malnutrition. Associated with this condition are night blindness, faulty growth of bone, xerophthalmia, etc. See hemeralopia.

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Febrile illness and particularly measles may precipitate keratomalacia in subjects with depleted vitamin A stores.

Vitamin A deficiency among children from low socio-economic status living in different environments in Khartoum State

Nutritional Blindness: Xerophthalmia and Keratomalacia. London and New York: oxford University Press.

Subclinical vitamin A deficiency: a potentially unrecognized problem in the United States

At present, there is a concern about vitamin A deficiency (xerophthalmia, keratomalacia etc.) and its contribution in the high rate of IMR by increasing the severity-and the risk of the three main health threats facing children in low social-economic communities in some countries; diarrhoeal diseases, measles and pneumonia.

Uses and misuses of vitamins and minerals

Malnutrition among the young is also a severe problem giving rise to problems like anaemia, goiter, keratomalacia, rickets, scurvy osteo malacia, etc.

On the privatisation of health care in Pakistan