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Conjunctivitis: symptoms and treatment
All of a sudden, your eyes turn red, itching, burning, and increased tearfulness. Most likely, you have conjunctivitis. WDay.ru will tell you how to diagnose the disease and determine the methods of treatment.
It is very easy to catch conjunctivitis in the summer. Dust gets into the eyes and becomes an inflammation agent. The causes of the disease can also be viruses, colds and even a lack of vitamins.
There are three types of disease:
Adenoviral conjunctivitis is also called pharyngoconjunctival fever. With this type of disease, in addition to eye damage, pharyngitis also occurs.
Causes: adenoviral conjunctivitis is a viral disease transmitted by airborne droplets. Most common in children.
Diagnosis of the disease: with adenoviral conjunctivitis, as a rule, the temperature rises slightly, it practically does not rise above 38 degrees and lasts an average of about 10 days. Lymph nodes may swell, glands in the head and neck area become inflamed. Dry cough and runny nose appear. There is a symptom of “sand in the eyes”, lacrimation. In addition, there is a reddening of the eyelid skin, swelling occurs. Eyes do not open well (sometimes they do not open completely). If you bend the eyelid, it will be clearly visible how the conjunctiva (mucous membrane) turns red.
Conjunctivitis symptoms and treatment
Bacterial conjunctivitis
Bacterial conjunctivitis also has sand in the eyes as the first symptom. However, it proceeds much more severely than its adenoviral analogue, because there are much more bacteria that can cause illness.
Causes: traditional causative agents of purulent processes – streptococci, staphylococci, pneumococci, as well as exotic representatives, for example, Koch-Weeks bacillus. Bacteriological analysis will help to establish the causative agent of the disease.
Diagnosis of the disease: during the period of illness, the eyes are obscured by cloudy discharge flowing over the edge of the eyelid. When they dry, they glue the eyelashes together. Bacterial conjunctivitis also usually occurs first in one eye and then can spread to the other. To avoid aggravating the problem, do not touch the patient. hands, only gently wipe with a handkerchief or disposable soft napkins.
Be careful: viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are highly contagious! Make sure that household members never use your towel, handkerchief, or other personal items.
Washing for the eyes
If you wash your face with soap, remove cosmetics with lanolin-containing products, vegetable oil, then itching, redness, swelling and peeling of the eyelids, sticky eyelashes, unpleasant sensations of a foreign body, dryness and fatigue are understandable. With the help of such “care” it is quite possible to earn not only conjunctivitis, but also blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids). Choose special hygiene products – a moisturizing eye gel based on hyaluronic acid and a cleansing blepharo-lotion (they can also remove decorative cosmetics). The gel is applied to the eyelids after morning and evening washing, massaged and washed off with water.
The main symptom of conjunctivitis is eye pain. Patients usually give a more differentiated definition – stinging, burning, increased lacrimation.
Allergic Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis can also be a manifestation of a common allergy.
Causes: plant pollen, house dust, animal hair, fluff, feathers, household chemicals, perfumes, cosmetics, etc.
Diagnosis of the disease: the insidiousness of allergic conjunctivitis is that it practically does not cause concern – only sometimes there is a feeling that a speck has got into the eye. Take this symptom seriously and be sure to consult an optometrist. But first, check your suspicions in front of a mirror: pull back the edge of the lower eyelid and see what the wrong side looks like. If it is uneven, covered with many small nodules the size of a millet grain, allergic conjunctivitis is present. More precisely, by eye.
Very often, a simple allergic conjunctivitis flows into a chronic one. The reasons may be as follows.
Lack of vitamins. May occur due to a violation of proper nutrition, diseases of the digestive tract (diarrhea, worms, etc.).
Chronic infections of structures close to the eye – lacrimal ducts, nose, paranasal sinuses. Such inflammations often spread to the structures of the eyelid.
Visual impairment (myopia or hyperopia). If they are not corrected or worn with glasses and contact lenses, eye diseases, including conjunctivitis, can develop.
How to treat conjunctivitis
Self-medication is a risk, even solutions of albucide or sofradex, which many keep in the home medicine cabinet, can exacerbate allergic conjunctivitis or exacerbate the symptoms of infectious inflammation.
We will treat!
With bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis.
To relieve itching and soreness, moisten two pieces of cotton wool with cold water, squeeze lightly, close your eyes, and place a compress on your upper eyelids. Keep holding until the cotton wool starts to warm: by this time you should feel relieved. If itching continues to bother, repeat the procedure.
Don’t tire sore eyes: give them 30-5 minutes of rest every 10 minutes of visual work.
If visual acuity is impaired, be sure to wear glasses selected by your doctor – otherwise your eyes will strain excessively when examining objects, and the symptoms of conjunctivitis will worsen.
Bright aggravates the painful symptoms, so while you are not cured, go outside in dark glasses.
Forget about makeup for eyelids until complete recovery.
Instill 2-3 drops of interferon in both eyes 4-5 times a day.
Wash them 3-4 times a day with onion broth. Boil in the husk, let stand for 20-30 minutes, then remove, add boric acid to the broth on the tip of a knife or 1/3 teaspoon of honey.
Wash your face before going to bed with an infusion of garden dill or make lotions from it. Pour a tablespoon of raw materials with 1/2 cup boiling water, leave for 1-2 hours in a thermos.
Moisten cotton swabs with freshly squeezed juice from green apples, fresh cucumbers or potatoes and apply to closed eyelids for 15-20 minutes. At the same time, tilt your head back a little, and put a napkin or towel dipped in hot water on your neck below the back of the head.
Observe strict hygiene rules! Change your face towel daily. Wash your hands before applying medicine or applying a lotion.
Keep in mind!
Do not put any bandages on sore eyes – this will only aggravate the symptoms! Self-medication can exacerbate allergic conjunctivitis or exacerbate symptoms of infectious inflammation. For bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis, treat with an optometrist.