title: Oculofacial Pain: Corneal Nerve Damage Leading to Pain Beyond the Eye.
abstract: The cornea is supplied principally by the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve and is the most densely innervated organ in the human body. Under normal conditions, the corneal nerve terminals incorporate sensors that monitor the thickness and integrity of the tear film, which are essential for meaningful vision. A disrupted tear film or direct noxious stimulation of these corneal nerves can produce discomfort or pain limited to the affected surface. Damage to these nerves can sometimes lead to a chronic neuropathic condition, where pain persists months following the initial insult, long after the nerves appear to have healed in the cornea itself following treatment. Neuropathic pain appears to persist indefinitely in a few patients.
authors.affiliation: Boston EyePain Foundation, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States.
authors.forename: Perry
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.affiliation: Center for Pain and the Brain, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 3Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston Massachusetts, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Borsook
authors.affiliation: Center for Pain and the Brain, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 3Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston Massachusetts, United States.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Moulton
mesh_terms: D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D058447:Eye Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D009882:Ophthalmic Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*