Xerophthalmia

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Xerophthalmia \Xe`roph*thal"mi*a\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; xhro`s dry
     + ? the eye. See {Ophthalmia}.] (Med.)
     An abnormal dryness of the eyeball produced usually by
     long-continued inflammation and subsequent atrophy of the
     conjunctiva.
     [1913 Webster]



From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  xerophthalmia
       n : abnormal dryness of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eyes;
           may be due to a systemic deficiency of vitamin A [syn: {xerophthalmus},
            {xeroma}, {conjunctivitis arida}]