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Conjunctivitis has characteristic symptoms: eyes sting and watering, sometimes there is photophobia. Conjunctivitis can be bacterial, viral, allergic or fungal. it may also be the result of dry eye or a simple infection. Conjunctivitis is quite a trivial ailment, but requires proper treatment. And for this it is necessary to find out what caused the disease. Find out what the causes of conjunctivitis are and how it is treated.

Conjunctivitisis a rather unpleasant ailment, but luckilytreatmentis usually quick and effective, provided we recognize correctly reasons . And they can be very different. Depending on what caused the inflammation, we can distinguish:

  • bacterial conjunctivitis
  • viral conjunctivitis
  • allergic conjunctivitis
  • dry eye conjunctivitis
  • fungal conjunctivitis

The conjunctiva is a very sensitive, thin and transparent mucosa that lines the eyelids and connects to the eyeball. The conjunctiva has the lacrimal, mucous, and fatty glands that produce the secretions that make up the tears. They moisturize the surface of the eyeball, enable "smooth" eyelid movements, help to maintain a constant chemical environment on the eye surface, and wash the eyeball of impurities. Since the conjunctiva is richly woven with blood vessels - which during conjunctivitis significantly expand and fill with blood - red eyes are a characteristic symptom of this disease.

Conjunctivitis: symptoms

The symptoms of conjunctivitisdepend on the cause that caused them. Usually, however, the patient feels:

  • itching
  • baking
  • sticking
  • tearing
  • redness
  • swelling
  • clumps
  • discharge, the nature of which depends on the type of conjunctivitis

So don't underestimate the problem. When the first symptoms appear, you can use over-the-counter eye drops. But if the symptoms persist after 2-3 days, you will need to see an ophthalmologist who will help you deal with the problem quickly.

The medications he or she recommends depend on the severity of the symptomsand causes of inflammation. Because if the disease is caused by, for example, bacteria, you will need different medications than in the case of, for example, allergies.

To determine the type of inflammation, the doctor usually only needs to talk to the patient and inspect the eye with a slit lamp. Sometimes it is necessary to collect secretions for culture or tests for tear secretion - Schirmer test or tear stability test.

Bacterial conjunctivitis

Bacterial conjunctivitis is the most common form of the disease. Usually it affects both eyes at the same time.Symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitisare:

  • purulent or serous-purulent discharge in the conjunctival and tear sac
  • redness and swelling of the conjunctiva, sometimes the entire eyelids.

When the disease is advanced, ecchymosis or gray-yellow spots may appear on the conjunctiva.

  • Treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis

Sulfonamides (Sulfacetamidum) or antibiotic solutions in the form of drops and ointments (e.g. Tobrex, Biodacin, Gentamicin, Neomycinum, Chloramphenicol) are given.

If your condition does not improve for a week, your ophthalmologist may advise you to discontinue your medication for 3-4 days, and then culture the conjunctival sac with an antibiogram. After determining which bacteria are causing the infection, he will recommend a treatment.

Viral conjunctivitis

Inflammation caused by viruses occurs during the period of increased infections of the upper respiratory tract caused by adenoviruses (mainly in autumn and early winter). The virus first attacks the conjunctiva and usually affects the cornea of ​​the eye after about 8 days.

Most often, the disease appears in one eye and spreads to the other after a few days.Symptoms of viral conjunctivitisare:

  • swelling of the conjunctiva
  • itching and foreign body sensation in the eye
  • appearance of serous secretions

There are clusters of swollen blood vessels on the conjunctiva (diffuse redness). When the inflammation spreads over the cornea, small opacities appear. This is accompanied by:

  • severe pain
  • tearing
  • photophobia

Sometimes the lymph nodes in the jaw area get bigger.

  • Treatment of viral conjunctivitis

Topically applied antiviral and anti-swelling, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic drugs. Antibiotics may be required to prevent bacterial contamination.

The disease is very contagious. It is easy to get infected by touch. If you have used eye cosmetics during an infection, you should throw them away,so as not to get infected again.

Conjunctivitis due to dry eye syndrome

Conjunctivitis is the result of dry eye syndrome - associated with insufficient secretion or an incorrect composition of tears. This is when keratitis also often appears.

The symptoms of dry eye conjunctivitisare:

  • eye irritation
  • "sand" under the eyelids
  • photophobia
  • itching

Ailments worsen at night, when working at the computer or when we are in dry air.

  • Treatment of dry eye conjunctivitis

Relief is provided by frequent blinking and closing of the eyelids, taking breaks in reading and instillation of the so-called artificial tears. In addition, you should humidify the air and drink 2-3 liters of fluid a day.

Allergic conjunctivitis

Allergic conjunctivitisusually occurs with hay fever in people allergic to pollen from flowering plants.

The cause may also be chemicals, cosmetics, medicines.Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitisare:

  • severe itching
  • hyperemia
  • tearing
  • eyelid swelling

Treatment of allergic conjunctivitis

Antihistamines are administered topically, and in severe cases also orally. Desensitization is sometimes necessary.

Fungal conjunctivitis

Fungal conjunctivitisoccurs rarely, generally as a complication of long-term antibiotic treatment or as a result of transmission from other parts of the body (genitals).

Symptoms of fungal conjunctivitisare:

  • itching
  • tearing
  • conjunctival redness

Whitish deposits often appear in the tear ducts.

Treatment of fungal conjunctivitis

Antifungal drugs (Clotrimazole, Nystatin) are given in the form of drops or ointments.

Conjunctivitis - simple infection

The cause of the simple infectionthat leads to conjunctivitis may be:

  • light
  • dust
  • smoke
  • fumes

In addition, lack of sleep, neurosis, and uncorrected eye defects, especially hyperopia and ataxia, too strong or too weak corrective lenses or their incorrect spacing.

Symptoms of simple infectionare:

  • baking
  • itchy eyes
  • slight photophobia
  • tearing.

The disease may be periodically accompanied by bacterial infections. Often, simple infection occurs in tandem with the so-called dry eye syndrome.

Treatment of simple infection

The causative agent of the disease must be removed. Bacterial infections are treated with anti-inflammatory preparations, dry eye syndrome is treated with artificial tears.

You must do it
  • Don't rub your eyes with your hands, even though they are itchy. This will only exacerbate the symptoms of the disease.
  • Remove secretions gently with a cotton swab or a disposable tissue and throw them away immediately.
  • Washing your eyes with tea or chamomile infusion will not cure the disease, and if done before a meeting with a doctor, it may blur the image and make diagnosis difficult. Better to use a special eye wash, available at a pharmacy without a prescription.
  • For the time of illness, give up the swimming pool. Chlorinated and ozonated water will only irritate the conjunctiva.
  • Wear sunscreen. They will protect diseased conjunctiva from irritating light.
  • Wash your contact lenses more often than usual. If the symptoms of the disease are severe, do not wear contact lenses for a few days.
  • Do not use eye cosmetics. And if that's not possible, wash off your makeup carefully as soon as you get home. Do not borrow or use borrowed cosmetics.
  • Do not stop the prescribed treatment, even if the symptoms quickly subside. If you stop taking medication too early, the disease may come back.
  • If you are away from home for a long time, choose ointments. The drops drain quickly, so you have to use them even every 3 hours. The ointments cover the conjunctiva with a layer that lasts quite a long time - they can only be applied 2-3 times a day.

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Eye diseases and vision disorders