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Definition of "xerophthalmia" []

  • Extreme dryness and thickening of the conjunctiva, often resulting from a deficiency of vitamin A. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "xerophthalmia" in a sentence
  • "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."
  • "‘Dry eyes’ (xerophthalmia, or nutritional blindness) is the most common cause of child blindness."
  • "Lack of Vitamin A: Vitamin A deficiency can lead to dry-eye disease (xerophthalmia), night-blindness and eventually complete blindness."