Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is a disease that affects the conjunctiva in the eye, causing it to become inflamed and reddened. It is commonly known as “red eye” or “pink eye” disease. A variety of infecting agents may give rise to the disease and it is their exact nature that determines the severity of the disease, how infectious it is, and how it may be treated. Additional symptoms can include discomfort in the eye, discharge of pus or eyes watering, and eyelids sticking together after sleep. Direct contact with a person suspected of having conjunctivitis should be minimized and washing of hands with soap and water should always be conducted.

The conjunctiva is a thin membrane that covers parts of the eye and the eyelid. Infections may be caused by bacterial agents such as staphylococci, pneumococci, and sexually transmitted organisms such as gonorrhea infectants. In the last case, the disease requires extensive antibiotic treatments, although other forms are susceptible to lower doses, either applied directly to the infected area or taken orally. Gonococcal conjunctivitis may be passed on to a child during childbirth and can lead to blinding. Babies suspected of suffering from this disease will have a silver nitrate preparation dropped into each eye. Adenoviruses, such as those causing chickenpox or measles, can spread from conjunctivitis to causing respiratory problems.

Many different causes apply in different parts of the world. Trachoma, which is the most common cause of blindness in the world and is prevalent in various parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, is caused by the transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis. This form of conjunctivitis leads to scarring of the conjunctiva and, hence, blindness.

Medical advice should always be sought when symptoms are observed because of the possibility of severe symptoms or because a case could lead to a very infectious outbreak. When conjunctivitis does occur in the developed world, it tends to lead to a rapidly spreading outbreak that requires identification of all those infected to prevent it spreading further. Conjunctivitis resulting from sexually transmitted diseases is also becoming more prevalent, partly for societal reasons in some countries, and this possibility intensifies the need for medical consultation if presence of the disease is suspected.

In some cases, reddening of the eyes might result from the use of some cosmetic or workplace-related substance that has provoked an allergy but does not involve a direct infection. People living in polluted environments such as large cities or in countries in which coal or another type of fuel producing large numbers of air particles is burned in large quantities are subject to a range of possible allergic reactions. The increasing use of chemicals in agricultural production might also stimulate the same effect in some people. It is also possible that another medicine, prescribed or otherwise, has produced such a result. Medical practitioners will wish to question the patient in some detail to identify the exact nature of any allergic response or infection and its cause.

[Page 446]Methods by which conjunctivitis can spread include direct contact, using the same towel as a person who is infected, or in some cases, the presence of house flies. Clearly, some measure of good hygiene will reduce the likelihood of infection, but is unlikely to remove it altogether.

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