conjunctivitis
Table of Contents
conjunctivitis
Introduction
- bilateral red eyes tend to be more likely due to either conjunctivitis, welder flash burns - UV keratopathy (photo keratitis), or chemical burns, the latter two generally also cause keratitis
- if only one eye is red, take special care to exclude other important pathologies - see acute atraumatic painful red eye(s)
- conjunctivitis may be caused by highly contagious organisms such as adenovirus - wear gloves and wash hands!
Clinical features
- usually present with bilateral itchy, mildly painful eyes with swollen, injected conjunctiva
- visual acuity may be affected if there is a lot of tearing
- infective causes generally start in one eye and spread to the other eye
- bacterial causes tend to have a purulent discharge
Aetiology
viral
- respiratory viruses
bacterial
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Haemophilus influenzae
- gonococcus - esp. neonatal
other pathogens
- fungi and parasites are rare causes and mainly in the immunocompromised
chemical
- swimming pool chlorine
- acids or alkalis
- noxious smoke or gases
- dust
- other irritants
allergic
- hay fever sufferers often develop bilateral conjunctivitis
- in addition to exposure from allergens, symptoms will vary according to genetic makeup, with at least 34 genes identified to be associated with symptoms1)
mechanical
- blocked tear duct in neonates
conjunctivitis.txt · Last modified: 2026/01/28 10:40 by gary1