Definition

A condition where the cornea, the clear front part of the eye, becomes inflamed.

Example

The doctor diagnosed her with keratitis after she complained of eye pain and redness.

Conversation

I heard you had to visit the doctor for your eyes.

Yeah, I was diagnosed with keratitis last week.

Oh no, that sounds serious! What did the doctor say?

He just gave me some drops to help with the inflammation.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Keratitis is formed from "kerato-" (from Greek "keras", meaning horn) and "-itis" (from Greek "itis", meaning inflammation). The word refers to the inflammation of the cornea, which is the horn-like outer layer of the eye.

Memory Tip

Think of 'horn' ('kerato-') to remember that keratitis means inflammation of the horn-like part of the eye.

Visually Confused Words