Conjunctivitis "Eye-Flu"
Red Irritable Sticky Eyes
Conjunctivitis, also called “pink eye” or “eye flu”, is an infection of the conjunctiva (the front white ‘skin’ of the eye). It is very common especially during rainy season.
Most cases are caused by common viruses – often the same ones that cause coughs and colds. In some cases especially children, bacterial infections can also occur. In the vast majority of cases, infective conjunctivitis is not serious and clears within a week or so without leaving any permanent damage to the eye.
- What are the symptoms?
- What should I do if I have red eyes?
Symptoms
Conjunctivitis or Eye flu typically starts acutely with irritation, grittiness, soreness and redness in the eye.
It usually involve both eyes though frequently it may start in one and then spread to the other after a few days. Soon the symptoms increase to include sticky discharge. Most people would report matting of eyes lashes in the morning and inability to open it without cleaning.
Visual symptoms are limited to mild blurring due to the sticky discharge.
A symptom which is typically ABSENT is photophobia or intolerance to light. Presence of this symptoms suggests something more than a conjunctivitis and should be reported to your eye doctor.
Every red eye is not conjunctivitis and should be evaluated by an eye doctor to rule out other more serious diseases.
A few things that should NOT be done include
- Do NOT self prescribe medications. The only eye drop you can start without consulting a doctor is a non medicated lubricating drop. As an eye doctor, I come cross this situation frequently wherein the patient start using an eye drops containing steroids. This can potentially cause flareup of the disease.
- Do NOT use medications prescribed to other close contacts. Since conjunctivitis is contagious, some people start using the medications prescribed to another affected family member to "prevent" infection. Unfortunately, these eye drops has no preventive role.
- Do NOT go in crowded places to prevent spread of the disease
More Questions and Answers
No treatment is also a valid option for mild infections as it clears on its own within a few days
Frequent cleaning the eyes from inside is not recommended as it washes off all the germ fighting proteins being secreted in the tears.
Lubricant eye drops may be used to reduce eye discomfort.
Medications in the form of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops may be sometimes prescribed especially in case of bacterial conjunctivitis
Do not wear contact lenses until symptoms have completely gone
Viral Conjunctivitis is very contagious and typically happen in spurts during rainy season. It spreads by touch and through objects touched by infected hands. To prevent spread to other people frequent hand washing is THE most important way.
Wash your hands multiple times during the day and particularly after touching an infected eye.
Alcohol based hand sanitizers are not effective against a lot of these viruses that cause conjunctivitis and cannot be a substitute of frequent hand washing. Its also important not to share towels, pillows, handkerchiefs or utensils used by the patient.
Wearing shades or any other kind of protective glasses has no role in the treatment of conjunctivits. It doesn't spread by looking into the affected eye and wearing shades doesn't protect against spread of infection
YES
You can continue your day to day activities. The only reason to restrict school or office is to prevent it from spreading it to other close contacts. The safest approach to avoid spread is to stay home until there is no longer any discharge from the eye(s). Watching TV or using computer or phone can also be continued if the patient is comfortable
Frequent washing of infected eyes from inside with tap water is not recommended as a treatment. It doesn't hasten up the recovery process. Infact it washes away all the anti-infective proteins secreted by the eyes to kill the pathogen
All cases should be screened to confirm the diagnosis.
In addition, presence of the following symptoms should also prompt a review
- Marked eye pain
- Intolerance to light (photophobia).
- Spots or blisters on the skin next to the eye.
- Blurring of vision which does not improve with blinking
Some type of infections (adenoviral infection) leads to a second phase which typically results in these symptoms.
This occurs due to an immune response to the dead viruses which results in development of small whitish spots in the cornea (the transparent part of the eye in front). This causes mild blurring and haloes.
Most cases resolve on its own over a few weeks. In more severe cases, medicated eye drops are required to manage the symptoms. In more severe cases, these may be required for many months.
