Skip to main content
Clear
  • Find a store
  • Menu
Specsavers logo
  • My account Sign in
    • Favourites
    • Express re-order
    • Orders
    • My details
    • Payment methods
    • Sign out
    • Glasses
        • Glasses
        • Type
        • Glasses
        • Sunglasses
        • Designer glasses
        • Guides
        • Buyer's guide
        • Lens options
        • Price guide
        • #LoveGlasses blog
        • Insurance partners
        • FAQs
    • Contact lenses
        • Contact lenses
        • Type
        • Fortnightly lenses
        • Daily lenses
        • Monthly
        • View all
        • Express re-order
    • Eye health
        • Eye health
        • Information
        • Your eye health
        • Eye test information
        • What are your eyes worth?
        • Services
        • Book an eye test
        • Eye care at work
        • Help
        • View all FAQs
    • Offers
    • Request appointment
    • Find a store
    • Sign in
    • My account
    • Favourites
    • Sign out
  • Request appointment Request appointment
Type
  • Glasses
  • Sunglasses
  • Designer glasses
Age & gender
  • Women
  • Men
  • Teens
  • Kids
Lens types
  • Single vision
  • Progressive
  • Bifocal
Guides
  • Buyer's guide
  • Lens options
  • Price guide
  • #LoveGlasses blog
  • Insurance partners
  • FAQs
Type
  • Monthly
  • Toric
  • Daily lenses
  • Fortnightly lenses
  • Progressive
Brand
  • Acuvue
  • easyvision
  • Focus Dailies
  • Air Optix
  • CooperVision
  • View all
Guides
  • Can I wear contact lenses?
  • How to use
  • Easyvision explained
  • What is easypay?
  • FAQs
Specsavers express re-order
Express re-order
Already have an account?
Reorder your lenses here
Re-order now
Services
  • Book an eye test
  • Eye care at work
Information
  • Your eye health
  • Eye test information
  • Do I need an eye test?
  • Eye conditions
  • Your prescription explained
  • What are your eyes worth?
Help
  • Contact lenses and sport
  • Progressive lenses
  • What is 20/20 vision?
  • Testing for colour vision
  • View all FAQs
Got a question?
Help & FAQs
Got a question? Find the answer here
Let’s go
  1. Home

Corneal ulcers

An eye or corneal ulcer is a painful sore that develops on the outer surface of your eye. They’re more common in contact lens wearers so proper care of your lenses is essential.

An eye or corneal ulcer is a painful sore that develops on the outer surface of your eye. They’re more common in contact lens wearers so proper care of your lenses is essential.

Did you know?

AA Members are entitled to a free Eye Health Check (valued at $60), once every two years. Remember to present your AA Membership card in store *.

Book an appointment

What are the symptoms of corneal ulcers?

  • Feeling of something in your eye
  • Grey or white spot on the cornea
  • Eye inflammation or redness
  • Eye pain or discomfort
  • Eye discharge
  • Blurred vision
  • Sensitivity to light

You may experience symptoms more like an eye infection before you notice the eye ulcer. If you have any of these symptoms, you should visit your optometrist as soon as possible.

What does a corneal ulcer look like?

In some cases you might feel the symptoms of an eye ulcer, but it may be too small to see yourself. Typically, a corneal ulcer looks like a grey or white spot or patch on the clear cornea at the front of the eye.

What causes a corneal ulcer?

Common causes of corneal ulcers include:

  • Bacterial infections
  • Viral infections
  • Eye injuries or small scratches on the eye
  • Dry eye syndrome

Contact lens wearers are at a higher risk of developing corneal ulcers, especially if they don’t follow hygiene advice, or over-wear their contact lenses. In these cases, bacterial infections from the contact lens or their case are the most common cause of corneal ulcers.

See FAQs

Corneal ulcer treatments

If you experience any of these symptoms listed above, you should visit your optometrist, ophthalmologist, or an eye casualty department as soon as possible for advice and treatment.

Treatment for corneal ulcers will usually be with intensive medicated eye drops to treat the bacterial or viral causes. If you are a contact lens wearer, you should take your lenses and case with you when you seek advice or treatment as this will help identify what type of bacteria is causing the eye ulcer. Only once you have been given the all clear, should fresh contact lenses be worn again. It is also a good idea to avoid wearing eye make-up or touching the eye unnecessarily during the treatment period.

If you’re a contact lens wearer, it’s important that you look after your lenses by cleaning them properly, replacing the case regularly, and making sure that you don’t exceed the recommended wearing time. This will help to reduce the chance of you getting a corneal ulcer.

See more eye conditions Book an appointment
Book an appointment

Why do I need an Eye Health Check?

Find out more

Your store visit explained

Find out more

Eye Health Check information

Find out more

*Free exam for AA Members applies to standard eye examinations only, normally valued at $60. Excludes contact lens examination. Limited to one per AA Member every two years. Available to current AA Members upon presentation of AA Membership card.

  • Shop
    • Glasses
    • Sunglasses
    • Designer glasses
    • Contact lenses
    • Offers
    • #LoveGlasses blog
  • Services
    • Eye tests
    • Corporate eyecare
  • Eye health
    • Your eye health
    • Eye test information
    • FAQs
  • About
    • Customer service
    • Community Program
    • Contact lenses FAQ
    • About Specsavers
    • Latest news
    • Annual review 2017-18
    • Careers
  • © Specsavers 2019
  • International sites
  • Legal policy
  • 19.01.0