Ophthalmology, like many specialties, has many named diseases and syndromes that are descriptions of symptoms or findings, or named after the doctor who first named the disease, often before technology was available to identify infectious causes.
Some syndromes and descriptions of symptoms in ophthalmology include, but are not limited to, endothelial dystrophy, endothelial dysfunction, epithelial dysfunction, inflammation, and inclusion cysts; Fuchs corneal dystrophy, Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis, glaucoma, macular degeneration, RPE, ICSR, retinitis pigmentosa, and retinal detachment; and Waldenstrom syndrome, Wegener’s syndrome, Stargardt syndrome (macular degeneration in a young patient), Cogan syndrome (recurrent inflammation in the front of the eye/cornea, often accompanied by fever, fatigue, weight loss, episodes of dizziness, and hearing loss, and can lead to deafness or blindness), and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Eye diseases of unknown origin, that are syndromes, descriptions of symptoms, or named after a doctor before modern technology, should be investigated for immortal pathogens as a root cause. Pathogens potentially causing these syndromes and other descriptive diseases include almost any pathogen in the intestinal tract; and include chlamydia species, H-pylori, toxoplasmosis, and CMV.
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