The causes and symptoms of conjunctivitis

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye can hardly be considered a rarity, as many people face such problems. So what is a similar disease, and what are the main symptoms of conjunctivitis? These questions are of interest to many, especially given the fact that children are more likely to have this disease.

Conjunctivitis: causes of the disease

In fact, the inflammatory process occurs when exposed to completely different factors external, and sometimes the internal environment. But it is worthwhile to understand that the reasons for the appearance of conjunctivitis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease are closely interrelated. The clinical picture of each form of the disease has its differences, and, of course, therapy depends primarily on the causes of its occurrence.

In most cases, inflammation is the result of infection activity. And pathogenic microorganisms can get on a mucous membrane both from an external environment (for example, at contact to the infected person), and from internal centers. In particular, some venereal infections are often accompanied by angina and conjunctivitis. The onset of the inflammatory process can be associated with a bacterial or fungal infection, as well as viruses.

There is also an allergic form of the disease, in which mucosal lesions occur in contact with certain chemicals, down, protein metabolism products, pollen of plants, cosmetics, etc.

The main symptoms of conjunctivitis

Such diseases are accompanied by very characteristic signs, which can not be overlooked. On the other hand, the symptoms of conjunctivitis directly depend on the nature of the pathogen:

• Bacterial form of the disease usually begins acutely and is often accompanied by fever, headache or fatigue. Patients complain of severe burning and burning in the eyes, as well as increased sensitivity to light. Often on the sclera of the eye, you can see pinpoint hemorrhages, which are the cause of soreness. Inflammation is accompanied by abundant purulent or mucopurulent secretions of a yellowish or greenish color.
• Cutting, burning, lacrimation and small hemorrhages is accompanied by viral inflammation. But in this case, the symptoms of conjunctivitis are slightly different: the allocation of this form of disease is meager and mucous.

Interestingly, most often only one eye is affected first, and only after 1-4 days the infection passes to the adjacent mucous membrane.

But allergic conjunctivitis looks quite different, and the intensity of its signs depends on the nature of the allergen. By the way, allergic reaction is accompanied by the defeat of both visual analyzers, which is an important fact. Redness and swelling of the mucous membrane, burning, aching and pain in the eyes, constant lacrimation, photophobia - all these are symptoms of conjunctivitis caused by allergies.

In any case, if you have such problems, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist. Attempts to self-cure or ignoring the symptoms can lead to negative consequences and affect the visual acuity.

How to treat conjunctivitis?

Therapy in this case depends on the causes of inflammation. In the presence of bacterial infection, eye drops containing antibiotics, for example, "Levomycetin", are used for treatment. If the cause is an allergic reaction, then you need to determine the allergen, eliminate possible contacts with potentially dangerous substances and take antihistamines, in particular, the drugs "Diazolin", "Loratidine", "Claritin" will be effective. Viral conjunctivitis requires the intake of vitamins and immunomodulators. In addition, it is necessary to cleanse the eyes of the secretions. For this purpose, a strong black tea, a compress made from chamomile broth or ordinary boiled water is suitable.