Conjunctivitis is an inflammation or infection of a transparent membrane (conjunctiva) located under the eyelid and covering the white membrane of the eye. When small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become inflamed, they become more visible. The white of the eye, respectively, acquires a reddish or pink color.
What is conjunctivitis in a more general sense? This is a disease caused by a bacterial or viral infection, an allergic reaction, or (in children) the lacrimal canal not fully opened .
Although this condition often causes irritation, it almost never affects vision. Various treatments help alleviate the discomfort caused by conjunctivitis. Given that the disease is contagious, early diagnosis should be provided and appropriate treatment should be taken in a timely manner to avoid the spread of infection. Make sure you and your family know how to cure conjunctivitis.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of conjunctivitis are:
- redness (in one or both eyes);
- itching
- a feeling of sand in the eyes;
- discharge, forming a crust over night, which does not allow you to open your eyes in the morning;
- lacrimation.
When to see a doctor
Consult a specialist if you know exactly what conjunctivitis is and have noticed its symptoms. The disease remains contagious for two weeks after the onset of the first symptoms. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment help prevent people from becoming infected.
Patients wearing contact lenses should discontinue use when signs of infection are detected. If the symptoms do not become weaker within 12-24 hours, you need to contact an ophthalmologist and make sure that we are not talking about a more serious infection associated with wearing contact lenses.
In addition, redness of the eyes can cause other diseases - usually associated with pain and visual impairment. If you find such symptoms, as well as if you do not know how to cure conjunctivitis, you should seek emergency medical help.
Causes
Causes of conjunctivitis can be:
- viruses;
- bacteria
- allergies
- contact with chemicals;
- foreign body in the eye;
- blockage of the lacrimal canal (in newborns).
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis
Both of these types of disease can spread to both one and both eyes. Viral infection usually causes lacrimation, bacterial infection - the appearance of thick yellow-green secretions. Both varieties may result from colds or be accompanied by symptoms of a respiratory tract infection such as a sore throat.
Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are equally contagious. The infection spreads through direct or indirect contact with discharge from the eyes of a sick person.
Adults and children are equally susceptible to these varieties of the disease, however, bacterial conjunctivitis is more often diagnosed in children. Treatment at home in this case does not always help, and you should contact the polyclinic to the local pediatrician.
Allergic conjunctivitis
What is conjunctivitis and how to classify it if inflammation is not caused by infections? An allergic type of disease affects both eyes and is a response to exposure to an allergen, such as pollen. In response to this irritating factor, the human body produces an antibody called immunoglobulin E. This body acts on special cells called mast cells (or mast cells) located in the mucous membrane of the eyes and respiratory tract. Mast cells produce inflammatory substances, including histamines. The production of histamine contributes to a number of allergic signs and symptoms, including redness of the eyes.
If you have chronic conjunctivitis caused by an allergy, it is most likely accompanied by severe itching, lacrimation and inflammation of the eyes. It is also possible sneezing and the appearance of watery discharge from the nose. As a rule, allergic conjunctivitis can be controlled with special eye drops.
Inflammation due to irritation
Irritation from exposure to a chemical or the presence of a foreign body in the eye can also turn into chronic conjunctivitis. Sometimes washing and cleansing the eye, aimed at removing a foreign object or chemical, causes redness and irritation. Signs and symptoms of the disease, which may include lacrimation and mucous discharge, usually disappear on their own within a day.
Risk factors
There are circumstances that increase the risk of developing the disease. These include:
- Allergen exposure.
- Immediate proximity to the carrier of a viral or bacterial infection. In this case, viral conjunctivitis is especially dangerous, the symptoms of which do not appear immediately.
- Wearing contact lenses, especially suitable for long-term use.
Treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis
If the infection is caused by bacteria, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics in the form of eye drops, and the disease will disappear within a few days. In some cases, when treating an infection in young children (infant conjunctivitis), they do not prescribe drops, but an antibacterial ointment for the eyes. It is usually easier to apply to the baby’s eyes than to drip drops, although this type of medicine may blur your vision for twenty minutes after application. In any case, after the start of therapy, the symptoms of the disease disappear within a few days. Follow your doctor's instructions and use antibiotics for a prescribed period to prevent relapse.
Viral conjunctivitis treatment
What is conjunctivitis caused by a virus, and how to deal with it? Most types of viral conjunctivitis cannot be treated with medication. Instead, the virus is allowed to go through the full cycle of its existence in a foreign organism - it can take up to two to three weeks. Viral conjunctivitis, whose symptoms are similar to signs of a bacterial infection, usually begins in one eye and spreads to the other after a few days. Signs and symptoms of the disease gradually weaken without medical intervention.
You may need to take antiviral drugs (for example, Acyclovir) if your doctor determines that the underlying cause of eye inflammation is the herpes simplex virus.
Allergic conjunctivitis treatment
If eye irritation is an allergic reaction, the doctor will prescribe special eye drops to treat allergies. There are a great many of such drops (including "Opatanol", "Levocabastine"). They may contain medications that allow you to control an allergic reaction (antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers), or substances that affect the inflammatory process (decongestants, steroids and anti-inflammatory drops).
How to quickly cure conjunctivitis without drugs? The intensity of symptoms can be reduced on their own, if caution is taken and contact with allergens is avoided.
Conjunctivitis: home treatment
To alleviate the course of the disease, it is recommended to take the following measures:
- Apply compresses. To make a compress, immerse a clean, lint-free cloth in water and squeeze well, then attach to closed eyelids. Usually cold compresses have the most emollient effect, but some patients feel better when using warm water. If the infection affects only one eye, do not touch the healthy tissue with the same tissue - this will reduce the risk of spreading the disease.
- Try eye drops. In pharmacies, over-the-counter eye drops are dispensed under the general name "Artificial Tear" - they relieve symptoms of conjunctivitis. Some drops contain antihistamines and other drugs that can help people with allergic conjunctivitis.
- Stop using contact lenses. If you wear contact lenses, it is advisable not to wear them until your condition improves. The length of the lens refusal period depends on the causes of eye inflammation. Ask your doctor if you should discard the lenses along with the cleaning solution and container. If you can't just pick up and throw away your contact lenses, clean them thoroughly before reuse.