Conjunctivitis - treatment, course, features of various forms of the disease

Various factors can provoke the onset of conjunctivitis: hypothermia, or, on the contrary, overheating, swimming in a reservoir with inactive water. In children, conjunctivitis often occurs due to the ingress of sand or dust into the eyes during games for walking, as well as violations of hygiene rules - for example, a baby can rub his eyelids with dirty hands. In addition, with catarrhal diseases , conjunctivitis can also occur. Treatment in this case is carried out in parallel with the therapy of the underlying disease.

There are several types of conjunctivitis, the methods of their treatment have their own specifics. Based on the causes that caused the disease, viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal or allergic conjunctivitis are isolated . The causative agents of the first of these are most often adenoviruses, less often enteroviruses, the herpes virus. Viral conjunctivitis, whose treatment can last for several weeks, is accompanied by a mild reddening and swelling of the conjunctiva. Separated from the eyes, in contrast to bacterial conjunctivitis, with it uninvested and non-pyrenic. In most cases, viral conjunctivitis develops against the background of ARVI and is accompanied by characteristic symptoms: fever, headaches, general malaise. Under it, the submandibular lymph nodes may also increase.

Viral conjunctivitis is characterized by high contagiousness (infectiousness) and a high probability of complications. So, the possible spread of inflammation on the cornea of the eyes is indicated by increased lacrimation and photophobia. A serious symptom is pain in the eyeball. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor, otherwise in the long term vision may be decreased. For the treatment of viral conjunctivitis, drops containing recombinant interferon alfa-2b (ocoferon) and antiviral drugs (oxolin, gludanantane) are used. In the treatment of herpes herpes, in addition, apply acyclovir.

Bacterial conjunctivitis is caused by pyogenic (purulent) bacteria, so the eye discharge is usually abundant. Sometimes it is difficult for patients to open their eyes after sleeping: this is prevented by eyelashes and eyelids sticking together from pus. In some cases, bacterial conjunctivitis, whose treatment requires the use of ointments and drops with antibiotics, can manifest itself only by dry eyes and a foreign body sensation in them. It should be understood that sometimes bacterial conjunctivitis is a symptom of serious enough infectious diseases. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor at the first signs. With conjunctivitis of the viral and bacterial nature, inflammation often begins on one eye, then goes to the second.

To avoid contamination of other family members, a patient with infectious conjunctivitis should be provided with a separate soap and towel. With a bacterial form of the disease, when there is a purulent discharge, you should change the pillowcase daily.

The cause of allergic conjunctivitis is a specific reaction of the body to the allergen, which is manifested by itching and burning in the eyes, abundant lacrimation. This conjunctivitis, the treatment of which involves taking antihistamines, often accompanies allergic rhinitis. Sometimes this disease can begin after applying some eye drops, used, for example, in cataracts or glaucoma. To ease the condition of patients, in addition to anti-allergic drugs, "Artificial Tear" drops will help, but remember that sometimes they themselves can cause a local allergic reaction. Treatment of allergic conjunctivitis in severe form may require the use of glucocorticosteroids.

In addition to acute forms of conjunctivitis, chronic can also be noted, the cause of which lies in external stimuli (dust, smoke), as well as diseases of metabolism or beriberi. In the first case, chronic conjunctivitis, whose treatment should be complex, often occurs when the work is changed. In the treatment of both chronic and acute forms of the disease, it is possible to use folk remedies (for example, washing the eyes with chamomile or rose hips, applying compresses from raw potatoes), but only with the permission of the doctor.