Conjunctivitis - Types, Symptoms And Treatment

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Conjunctivitis can affect both adults and children. It is a contagious ailment and we can be down with it at any time. Because of the contagion effect, conjunctivitis tends to affect both eyes. Simply by rubbing the affected eye, conjunctivitis will spread through contaminated fingers.

Conjunctivitis And Its Symptoms

Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the outer layer of they eye. It is a transparent membrane that also lines the inner eyelids. When it is inflamed, the eyes become visibly red and other symptoms will also appear.

Itchiness and irritation are some of the other usual symptoms that accompany this ailment. This will cause you to rub your eyes, which you actually should avoid so as to prevent it from getting worse. The eyes will also become watery with discharge being noticeable. Usually, the color and thickness of the discharge will give an indication of the type of conjunctivitis that you are suffering from.

Common Types Of Conjunctivitis

If you have thick yellowish to greenish discharge, then you are most likely down with bacterial conjunctivitis. The discharge, when dried up during the night, will form crusts and can cause your eyes to be glued together when you wake up in the morning.

For viral conjunctivitis, it is often accompanied by flu symptoms. The same cough and cold virus can also affect the eyes. Viral conjunctivitis will usually give you a more watery discharge compared to bacterial conjunctivitis.

The other common type of conjunctivitis is caused by allergens. Some people suffer from it during certain seasons as the weather and environment change. For instance, pollen is a very common allergen that causes conjunctivitis for a number of people.

Treatment

Viral conjunctivitis has no cure. At most, the doctor will give you something to relieve the irritation. In that sense, you will have to let the infection runs its course. This can take up to a week, sometimes more, for the conjunctivitis to clear.

For bacterial conjunctivitis, it can be treated with a round of antibiotics. This will shorten the recovery period and you can be clear of the symptoms after a few days.

Allergic conjunctivitis are often treated with eye drops and other medication to counter the allergic reaction, depending on the severity of the condition. Compared to viral and bacterial conjunctivitis, it is not contagious.

When you have conjunctivitis, practice good hygiene. That is the best way to prevent transmission since it can be contagious. Wash your hands after touching your eyes. Discard used cotton pads and compresses immediately after wiping your eyes with them. You will need to exercise vigilance so that the conjunctivitis will not spread to other family members when your symptoms have yet to clear.
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