AK should be considered in all patients who use contact lenses, and following corneal abrasions or trauma. A thorough history should be obtained, especially relating to contact lens use and any recent changes contact in lens solution, exposure of the eyes to water or foreign objects, and symptoms that the patient is experiencing. The symptoms classically attributed to AK include decreased or blurred vision, sensitivity to light (photophobia), redness of the eye (conjunctival hyperemia), and pain out of proportion to physical exam findings. Another clinical feature that can distinguish Acanthamoeba from bacterial causes of keratitis is a lack of discharge from the eye.On physical exam, findings will depend on the stage of the disease. Early manifestations in the cornea can be seen as punctate keratopathy, pseudodendrites, and epithelial or subepithelial corneal deposits. These features can lead an examiner to confuse AK with a viral keratitis, such as that caused by varicella zoster virus or herpes simplex virus. As the disease progresses and infiltrates the corneal stroma, a classic "ring infiltrate" may be present on examination (although this is only seen in about 50% of cases). Corneal ulceration, or in severe cases, perforation, can also occur and may be accompanied by hypopyon.In cases of keratitis, diagnosis is typically achieved through evaluation of corneal scrapings. Scrapings are taking from the cornea, and plated on agar for culture, and also can be stained using Gram stain and Giemsa stain to differentiate between bacterial keratitis and AK.
HPC is also used as a lubricant for artificial eyes. HPC is used as a thickener, a low level binder and as an emulsion stabiliser with E number E463. In pharmaceuticals it is used as a binder in tablets. HPC is used as a sieving matrix for DNA separations by capillary and microchip electrophoresis.HPC is the main ingredient in Cellugel, which is used in book conservation. Cellugel is described as "A safe, penetrating consolidant for leather book covers affected by red rot" and is produced by Preservation Solutions. See also
Carboxymethyl cellulose
Methyl cellulose
Hypromellose


== Notes and references ==