What Are The Symptoms Of Conjunctivitis?

Symptoms of conjunctivitis occur when the conjunctiva is inflamed due to any reason. The conjunctiva is a thin, transparent, membrane-like structure covering the "white" of your eyes and the inner side of your eye lids.

The commonest symptom of conjunctivitis is redness of the eyes. Redness may be associated with pain, itching, discharge, grittiness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and watering from the eyes. If the inflammation is severe, some may even have swollen eye lids.

Redness of the eyes occurs due to the color imparted from dilatation of the numerous blood vessels which are present in the conjunctiva. This is why conjunctivitis is commonly referred to as a "pink eye" or a "red eye".

A red eye or a pink eye may be due to an infection, allergy, chemical or other irritant in the eye or a foreign object in the eye. It may be acute or chronic.

Viral infections of the conjunctiva are usually associated with a watery or mucus discharge. Bacterial infections on the other hand produce a thicker discharge which may be yellow or green in color. The discharge may at times be profuse and your eye lids may get stuck together, especially when you wake up in the morning.

Both bacterial and viral infections may be associated with a cold and they are both highly contagious, meaning they can be spread from person to person easily. In babies and toddlers, bacterial infections are more common compared to adults.

Allergic conjunctivitis is generally associated with severe itching and watering of the eyes. It may also be associated with sneezing, itching and a runny nose. Sometimes allergic conjunctivitis occurs seasonally, at a certain time during every year like in spring or in summer. Other times, allergies may persist through out the year.

An irritant in the eye producing a red eye or a pink eye could be due to accidental exposure to chemicals and other irritants. Similar effects are seen when a foreign object gets lodged in the eye. Flushing the eye usually rids of the residual irritants but may produce redness. This will usually get healed on its own within a day or two. Removal of the foreign object will also lead to healing.

Treatment of all forms of conjunctivitis is with eye drops with or without eye ointments. Eye ointments are more effective in cases of children. Sometimes treatment has to be continued for days even after the clearance of symptoms to ensure a recurrence do not occur.

Several natural remedies from aromatherapy to home made remedies using natural ingredients such as honey, milk and even potatoes have been used to treat conjunctivitis but their scientific value needs to be researched further.

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