Leprosy-related eye disease

What it is

Leprosy is a chronic infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae that mainly affects skin and peripheral nerves. When facial nerves are involved, the eyelids may not close fully (lagophthalmos), tears dry up, and the cornea becomes vulnerable to scratches, infection and scarring.

Eye symptoms to know

Eye involvement may develop quietly as nerve damage progresses.

• Reduced blinking or incomplete eyelid closure
• Dry, gritty or red eyes
• Reduced feeling on the eye surface
• Recurrent corneal ulcers or white scars on the cornea
• Blurred vision if the cornea is damaged

WHO prevention and care

WHO recommends integrating eye assessment into leprosy care: teaching regular lid closure exercises, lubricating drops, sunglasses, and timely surgery for lagophthalmos. Multidrug therapy cures the infection but nerve damage may persist, so eye follow-up continues for life in affected people.

Relevance elsewhere

Leprosy-related eye disease is rare in high-income countries today but remains important in some endemic regions. It illustrates how nerve damage, not just infection, drives preventable blindness — similar principles apply to other causes of exposure keratopathy.