Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Extreme dryness and thickening of the conjunctiva, often resulting from a deficiency of vitamin A.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A dry form of conjunctivitis, resulting in a thickening and skin-like condition of the conjunctiva. Also
xeroma , and xerosis of the conjunctiva.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Med.) An abnormal dryness of the eyeball produced usually by long-continued inflammation and subsequent atrophy of the conjunctiva.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A condition due to a
deficiency of vitamin A where theconjunctiva andcornea becomedry . The condition starts withconjunctival xerosis and nightblindness and progresses to corneal xerosis and, later, a severe condition calledkeratomalacia .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun abnormal dryness of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eyes; may be due to a systemic deficiency of vitamin A
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Vitamin A deficiency in humans, as well as rats, was later shown to produce serious eye damage (xerophthalmia) and it remains a major cause of blindness in the Third World.
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Dry eyes (xerophthalmia, or nutritional blindness) is the most common cause of child blindness.
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Lack of Vitamin A: Vitamin A deficiency can lead to dry-eye disease (xerophthalmia), night-blindness and eventually complete blindness.
Chapter 4 1999
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Vitamin A (retinol) - for night blindness and xerophthalmia
Chapter 31 1993
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Whole milk, eggs, and liver are also rich in vitamin A. · If the child is not likely to get these foods, or if he is developing signs of night blindness or xerophthalmia, give him vitamin A, 200,000 units (60 mg. retinol, in capsule or liquid) once every 6 months.
Chapter 23 1993
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Measles increases the con-sumption of vitamin A and often precipitates xerophthalmia.
Chapter 13 1993
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The cornea becomes dull and pitted as in xerophthalmia.
Chapter 23 1993
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Children with measles are at especially high risk of xerophthalmia, and should be given vitamin A when the illness begins.
Chapter 31 1993
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· In communities where xerophthalmia is common, give 200,000 units of vitamin A once every 6 months to women who are breast feeding, and also to pregnant women during the second half of their pregnancy.
Chapter 23 1993
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- Give prophylaxis against xerophthalmia: vitamin A
Chapter 13 1993
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