Conjunctivitis

Question 1

What is conjunctivitis?

Answer 1

inflammation of the conjunctiva

Question 2

What causes conjunctivitis?

Answer 2

Viral illness – with lymphadenopathy, systemic illness, sore throat etc (e.g. adenovirus = very infectious)

Allergic – acute allergy, hay fever/atopy, topical medication (e.g. glaucoma treatment)

Bacterial (rarer) – usually Staphlococcal BUT think of Neisseria and Chlamydia in neonates

Question 3

How does conjunctivitis present?

Answer 3

Symptoms:
Red eye, sometimes profound, usually starting unilateral then very quickly spreading bilateral in less than 1 week, discharge (often serous in viral and purulent in bacterial but not for certain), can help to pull eyelid forward, itching (allergic)

Signs:
If eye looks very red need to check that cornea is clear and patient can see okay (may have to blink to clear eyes)

Red flags:
One eye after a week, recurrent, neonate

Question 4

How do you manage conjunctivitis?

Answer 4

Cleanliness, treat underlying cause, MORE