Treatments for various types of conjunctivitis

Sometimes called madras eye, conjunctivitis refers to the condition of acute inflammation of the eye’s conjunctiva, which is the outermost layer of the eye. This abnormal ocular condition has some noticeable signs, e.g. redness, irritation and watering. The reason for conjunctivitis is quite complex and many factors may be involved. Classified by cause, conjunctivitis cases can be divided into allergic conjunctivitis, bacterial conjunctivitis, viral conjunctivitis and so forth. Different types of conjunctivitis have different symptoms and require dedicated treatments. For instance, viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can be relieved by warm compress and eye drops or pills can be used to treat allergic conjunctivitis.

Bacterial conjunctivitis can be treated by antibiotics

Bacterial conjunctivitis in adults is always caused by infections such as staphylococcus and streptococcus. In children, a common cause is Haemophilus influenza bacteria. Besides eye cleanser and artificial tears for relieving symptoms, the doctor will also prescribe standard antibiotics to treat bacterial conjunctivitis. In most cases, antibiotics are enough and a sample evaluation is unnecessary.

Hereditary gonococcal conjunctivitis requires injection of antibiotics

Newborn babies are at high risk of gonococcal conjunctivitis, which is caused via the contact with their mothers. This type of conjunctivitis results from sexually transmitted diseases on pregnant women, who should be treated with antibiotics to prevent the infection from being passed to their children. Caused by either birth-related bacteria or pink eye exposure, some cases of gonococcal conjunctivitis even occur after several weeks of birth.

Once a child is diagnosed with gonococcal conjunctivitis, the most common treatment is to take an intravenous injection of antibiotics through either veins or muscles. Another treatment is applying silver nitrate and antibiotic ointments to its eye within an hour after birth.

Viral conjunctivitis can be relieved by antihistamine and steroids

Viral conjunctivitis has symptoms such as watery mucus discharge and eye redness. This type of conjunctivitis usually spreads through respiratory infection, so that children with a cold are more likely to be affected. As a result, pink eye epidemics may be aroused among school children via sneezing and coughing. Other reasons that may cause viral conjunctivitis include virus-based illness such as measles and mumps. Viral conjunctivitis can not be cured, only treatments for symptom relief are available. Antihistamine is used to relieve eye itchiness and irritation, and vasoconstrictors are effective for reducing redness. Steroids are also used to control symptoms and speed up recovery, while they may cause cataracts or glaucoma. Most cases of viral conjunctivitis will go away on its own within several days or weeks.

Allergic conjunctivitis require eye drops and mast-cell stabilizer

Allergic conjunctivitis also has various symptoms, including itchiness, stringy mucous discharge and red eye, stuffy and runny nose. People with allergic conjunctivitis can usually get relief from ordinary eye drops, which are helpless for individuals with severe conditions. Serious conjunctivitis should be treated with steroid eye drop medications at the beginning and mast-cell stabilizer for regular use. Due to potential side effects such as cataracts, the use of steroid must be under careful monitoring.

Giant papillary conjunctivitis calls for the use of GP contact lenses

Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) is always found in people wearing soft contact lenses. Other potential risks of GPC include artificial eye and an exposed suture. People with GPC always tear much, produce significant mucus and get itching eyes or eyelid bump. For symptom relief, saline solution can be used to wash the eye’s surface. There are still some remedies for GPC involving soft contact lenses. The most effective way is to remove contact lenses, along with their abnormal immune response. For those persisting in lenses wearing, mast-cell stabilizers may be used. To avoid the recurrence of GPC, it is encouraged to can wear RGP lenses and use strict lenses hygiene.