Recognising and Treating Conjunctivitis

Acute conjunctivitis is redness and soreness (inflammation) of the clear covering (the conjunctiva) which coats the white of the eye and lines the inside of the eye lids. This comes on relatively quickly and lasts for a fairly short time. Acute conjunctivitis may clear on its own, but often needs treatment from your doctor.

• Mostly both eyes are affected, but often one starts before the other.
• The eye is red, with the blood vessels over the white of the eye more visible and swollen. The lining of the eyelids also looks redder or pinker than usual.
• The eye is sticky, with a discharge (often an interesting green) which is worse when you wake up.
• The eye is itchy or painful.

• The commonest cause is infection with bacteria. My children always get conjunctivitis alongside a cold. They have the endearing habit of wiping the streaming gunk from their noses up in to their eyes and conjunctivitis is the outcome.
• Virus infection may also occur.
• Allergic reactions, e.g. hayfever, may cause conjunctivitis, but do not usually cause a sticky discharge.

Treatment

It helps to clean the eyes with cotton wool soaked in:

• cooled, boiled water, or
• cooled, boiled water with a pinch of salt in it, or
• I use cooled camomile tea following a recommendation from a friend. This does seem to keep the eye clearer for longer.

Wipe the eye from the inner corner outwards then dispose of the cotton wool.

I have found that it is often easier to gently pick the encrusted gunk from the eyelashes ONLY whilst the eyes are still dry. Then wipe the discharge from the eye.

Beware conjunctivitis is often very contagious. Wash your hands after touching your or your child's eyes, as it is very easy to infect others by spreading the germs on your fingers or on tissues etc. The infected person should have their own towel, and bedding will need to be changed more frequently.

If the problem is a virus infection, then it will not respond to antibiotics, and your body will have to fight off the infection.

If your doctor thinks that the problem is allergic, then you may be prescribed antihistamines.

You should always see your doctor for further advice, and this should NEVER be left for more than three days with infants. If the infection has not cleared up in that time, you MUST seek medical help.

 Your doctor may prescribe drops or ointment, or both. Drops stay in the eyes for a shorter time, but ointment tends to blur the vision. Sometimes your doctor may prescribe drops by day, with ointment at night.

In the UK, pharmacists can sell ‘Optrex Infected Eyes’ over the counter, but this can only be given to those over 2 years of age and who can be examined at the time by the pharmacist.

Sometimes, especially if the treatment is slow to work, your doctor may take a specimen of the germs in the eye on a small swab (like a cotton bud) and send it to the laboratory for analysis.

Most childcare providers will not take children who have untreated conjunctivitis, however the child may safely attend 24 hours after treatment has commenced.

Many young babies get a blocked tear-duct (and ‘sticky eye’) early in on their lives. Smaller babies are more prone to this as the tubes running from the inner corner of their eyes are not large enough to clear small particles and so get blocked. This will result in the eye getting more discharge than normal, but it should not be red, swollen or aggravating to the child. If you suspect a blocked tear duct, still take the child to see a doctor. A doctor may well take a swab of the discharge for analysis to rule out any other problems, but are unlikely to treat it in any way until the child is at least 12 months old. Some may wait much, much longer than this (a friend has been told nothing will be done until her daughter is 8 years old). This is because most children will grow out of this without any invasive procedure required.

Gentle massage of the area between the eye and the nose may help to clear any blockages.