Infection or irritation of the conjunctiva is a common ailment. The common causes are infection by bacteria or a virus, allergies, or chemicals accidentally splashed in the eye. Treatment must deal with the cause, and infection requires a period away from community settings and extra cleanliness in the home to prevent spread.
What is conjunctivitis?
Redness in the white of an eye and the inner side of the eyelids is commonly called pink eye. The medical term is conjunctivitis. There are 4 main causes: bacteria, viruses, allergy and chemical exposure. Pink eye describes the redness of the inflammation, but this does not tell us the cause. (see “How is conjunctivitis treated?”)
When conjunctivitis is caused by one of several possible bacterial infections, the lining protecting the upper eyeball and the same conjunctiva membrane on the inner side of the lids will produce a purulent (pus-like) sticky yellowish discharge that can crust around the lids during sleep. In infections caused by a virus, this crusting is infrequent. In either case, you or your child has a highly contagious condition that is common, that rarely leads to worse complications, but that should be seen by your doctor.
Although conjunctivitis gets its name from the protective conjunctiva tissue around the eye that becomes red and inflamed, treatment for this condition depends on what caused the inflammatory response in the first place.
Bacterial conjunctivitis
Treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis in infants and children tries to prevent any potential complications that could spread the infection within the eye, or to the inner ear or pharynx (a cavity running from the auditory tube to the esophagus).
Viral conjunctivitis
There is no effective treatment for viral conjunctivitis, so taking antibiotics is not advisable.
Alternative therapy
Many people trust herbal or other natural approaches to treat discomfort or disease. Comfort is important, and antibiotics are not effective against viruses, so there is lots of room for alternative therapy. But antibiotics have proven their effectiveness against bacterial conjunctivitis, and their use protects others against the spread of the disease. Many people use aloe vera, to name only one of a host of alternative products available. Aloe vera extracts are soothing, and appear to have some antimicrobial effect.
Allergic conjunctivitis
Allergic conjunctivitis may pose moderate to serious challenges to caregivers, depending on the severity of the symptoms and the duration. Allergy occupies an entire domain of pharmaceutics and medicine today. We can expect to see many new approaches and anti-allergy agents in the future. Fewer doctors prescribe corticosteroid for conjunctivitis, and many are more conservative in using antihistimines and decongestant drops for symptom relief.
One preventive strategy open to many severely affected people is testing and desensitization. Testing is used to identify the specific allergen(s) involved. This is followed by therapy to desensitize against the inflammatory conjunctivitis reaction.
Chemical conjunctivitis
In case of chemical conjunctivitis caused by physical contact with an irritant, immediately flush the eye with cold water for 15 minutes, and get to an emergency clinic as soon as possible to prevent eye injury.
Infectious conjunctivitis is caused either by one of several bacteria or a virus. Often such infections affect several children in the same daycare center or school since children easily pass bacterial conjunctiva infections on to each other.
Seeing your physician or eye specialist right away ensures conjunctivitis caused by bacteria can be treated early. Using an antibiotic to treat bacterial conjunctivitis eliminates the threat of spreading the infection after the first day of treatment.
There are two other common forms of pink eye that are not caught or passed on in community settings.
Anyone could come down with an allergy to airborne pollen or environmental agents and products, and develop a red, watery eye. Often, you know that you or a child has such allergies, and are aware of the seasons or circumstances when reactions occur, even if you have never seen a conjunctivitis reaction before. In the eye membranes, allergic reactions are often accompanied by more itchiness than would occur in an infection.
With allergy, it is important to consult the family doctor. Make sure that all health specialists you consult (including your eye doctor) are informed of any over-the-counter medications that the affected person is taking.
Chemical-induced conjunctivitis occurs after exposure to strong irritants. It is urgent to attend to chemicals that get into an eye. Post an information sheet prominently with emergency phone numbers and a reminder to flush out chemicals splashed into the eye for 15 minutes with cold water IMMEDIATELY. Accidents are preventable. Strong chemicals, such as household detergents, ammonia, fuels and bleaches should kept be in locked storage spaces and always in labeled containers.
Some work and household situations expose your eyes to irritants over a period of time, and could cause conjunctivitis. Try to reduce exposure. Safety committees where both management and employes adopt measures to reduce accidents are a good idea, and should be implemented and given priority.
By taking preventive measures, practising basic hygiene, and reducing exposure to others in the community until treatment has taken effect, you will prevent conjunctivitis from becoming a more serious threat to healthy vision.
If the conjunctivitis is caused by a virus, it should not be treated with antibiotics or other antimicrobial agents. Children are quite often mistakenly treated for pink eye with antibiotics, and the condition does not improve. All too often, the antibiotic itself causes allergic hypersensitivity, increasing the irritation. The result: an even worse case of pink eye than if baby shampoo had been simply applied to a warm compress to clean and soothe the irritation!
Here is a news flash that should interest pet owners:
NEW YORK, Jun 03 (Reuters Health) — Pet groomers, veterinary assistants, pet store employees and other people who often use flea-control products on the job may be at risk for pesticide poisoning if they do not handle such products properly, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Forty-two cases of illness among workers using flea-control products were either reported to the CDC or identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency between 1989 and 1997.
So, always read labels on any product you use. Wear protective goggles and clothing whenever using toxic and/or irritating products — especially powdered pesticides.
For more information
http://www.acupuncture.com/www.adam.com/
http://www.aoanet.org/
http://www.eyesearch.com/
http://www.healthy.net/
http://www.mayohealth.org/
http://www.planetrx.com/
http://www.state.hi.us/health/resource/
http://www.steen-hall.com/pink.html
http://www.utoronto.ca/kids/conjunct.htm
Sources
Spence, AP, Mason E. The Eye — Vision. In: Human anatomy and physiology. 2nd ed. Benjamin/Cummings; Menlo Park (CA), 1983. p. 387-406
Tkac D, ed. The doctors book of home remedies. Bantam Books; New York, 1991. p. 174-175
