Conjunctivitis

Have your eyes become sticky and red any time? They most probably have!

Acute Conjunctivitis is the most commonly encountered eye problem. The white of the eye is covered by a transparent layer called Conjunctiva. It also covers the inner side of eyelids.

What is Pink eye?

Pink eye or Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva. In this the eyes become red and there is sticky discharge, watering and itching. It lasts for 4-5 days. Usually both eyes are affected.

Conjunctivitis can be due to

Allergy

Infection, which can be

	Bacterial
	Viral . Viral Conjunctivitis causes more watery discharge. It may be associated with sore throat or a common cold.

Acute infective conjunctivitis is caused by contact with infected eye discharge. Therefore spreads rapidly in families and schools.

Symptoms -

Red eye, sticky discharge , eyelids sticking together, itching. Lasts for 4-5 days. Usually both eyes are affected.

Management -

	Wash the eye with warm water as frequently as possible, to remove all the discharge.
	Antibiotic eye drops or ointment is the remedy.
	Steroid eye drops, may give 'relief' instantly but can be dangerous. They should be ideally avoided especially in people not likely to follow up with the doctor. They can decrease the immunity of the eye and make the eye prone to infection, particularly corneal ulcer.
	The infected person should keep his personal articles separate and isolate himself from direct contact for few days.
	Frequent hand washing with soap and plenty of water helps in preventing rapid spread.

Wearing dark glasses is not a must. Since the cornea is not affected there is no photophobia, but dark glasses may give relief to the irritated eye.

Chronic Conjunctivitis -

There is low grade inflammation of conjunctiva and eyelids that lasts for a long time.

	Cause is usually staphylococci bacteria.
	Antibiotic eye medications required.

Trachoma -

Trachoma is an eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It is common in tropics. It is spread by flies.

There are multiple elevations on the inner side of the eyelid, called as follicle and papillae. There is conjunctival and corneal scarring seen as white spots. The scarring of the lids causes trichiasis, ectropion, entropion.

The treatment consists of Tetracycline eye ointment.

Bacteria:

Hey Bacteria!

Does that sound dangerous? Well may be. But did you know there are bacteria everywhere around us, even inside our body?
Bacteria can be useful as well as harmful. They can be our friends as well as enemies!

It is the bacteria that give us yogurt. Some bacteria help us in digesting our food.

Now, if they invade our body, the bacteria can cause diseases. In that case, our body will fight against them with the white blood cells. This is associated with the formation of 'pus' or the sticky discharge in conjunctivitis. Sometimes our body may start losing the fight. That's when we have to use "Antibiotics", to help our body in fighting the bacteria.

Back To Infection

Virus:

Viruses are on the verge of living and non-living. They cannot survive on their own, outside a living organism. Therefore most viruses are harmful. Viruses can be seen only by an electronic microscope. Some viruses live inside bacteria! They depend on the host cell for their reproduction.

Viruses can cause diseases like Flu (Influenza), Viral Conjunctivitis, Jaundice (Viral Hepatitis). Antiviral medicines fight viruses.

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