Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid is a type of mucous membrane pemphigoid, which is a rare, autoimmune disease that presents with blistering lesions in the eyes. The body’s immune system is attacking the skin and mucus membranes. Symptoms include redness, pain, tearing, and light sensitivity. The inflammatory lesions on the eye surface may result in scarring, adhesions of the lids to the eyeball, dry eyes, corneal ulcers, and perforation. If left untreated, the scarring can lead to vision loss and even blindness.
Patients with the autoimmune response that causes ocular cicatricial pemphigoid may be genetically predisposed or triggered by an environmental factor. The disease is more likely to affect women and people over the age of 60.
Common symptoms include eye redness, dryness, light sensitivity, discharge from the eyes, ulcers in the conjunctiva, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and declining vision.
Your Cizik Eye Clinic doctor will discuss your symptoms and conduct an eye exam. A biopsy sample will be taken for testing from the patient’s mouth or inside lining of the eye.
Oral immunomodulatory medications may be prescribed. Dry eye therapy might be offered to help relieve symptoms, and special gas-permeable contact lenses may also be beneficial. Treatment may also include tear substitutes and epilation of in-turning lashes.
The Cizik Eye Clinic opened in 2007 and is housed in Memorial Hermann Plaza at 6400 Fannin Street. It includes dozens of exam areas, multiple operating rooms, and laser suites equipped with the most sophisticated equipment available for patient care.
People travel from across the country and the world for treatment at the Cizik Eye Clinic, in part because our affiliation with the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth provides unmatched resources and expertise. Our friendly staff works diligently to make your visit pleasant and efficient, as we maximize patient flow through everything from routine eye exams to the most advanced eye surgeries.
Our physicians are faculty members at McGovern Medical School and are board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology or are board eligible. At the Cizik Eye Clinic, we understand that the eye is a small part of a whole patient who deserves top-notch, comprehensive care in a cutting-edge facility.
At Robert Cizik Eye Clinic, we offer patients access to highly specialized eye and vision care. To ask us a question, schedule an appointment, or learn more about us, please call (713) 486-9400, or click below to send us a message. In the event of an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Room.