Pediatric Services Raleigh NC

TOPIC:

CONJUNCTIVITIS:

Commonly called pink eye, conjunctivitis is an infection of the conjunctiva (the clear membrane that covers the white of the eye and lines the inner surface of the eyelids) it is fairly common and usually causes no long term eye or vision damage.

Causes:

It can be infectious or non-infectious.

Non-Infectious:

1. Allergies can cause the conjunctiva to be injected and itchy. Triggers for allergic conjunctivitis include grass, ragweed, pollen, animal dander, dust mites, etc.
2. Chemicals like soap, chorine or air pollutants like dust, and smoke from fires can irritate the conjunctiva.

Infectious:

A variety of viral and bacterial infections can cause conjunctivitis. The most common symptoms are redness, eye swelling and discharge. The child may say that it feels like there are grains of sand in the eye. The eye discharge can cause the lids to stick together when the child wakes up in the morning. Some children have sensitivity to bright light. Doctors usually recommend that children diagnosed with infectious conjunctivitis stay out of school and sports and avoid contact with other children till they have been on adequate treatment for 24 hours and their symptoms have improved.

How does it spread?

A child can get pink eye touching an infected person or by touching something an infected has touched. It can also spread through coughing, sneezing, or sharing towels, wash cloths, eye makeup remover, eye drops, tissues or pillow cases with infected people.

Prevention:

Teach kids to wash their hands often with soap and warm water. Wash your hand thoroughly after touching the infected child’s eyes. Throw away any cotton balls that have been used to clean the eyes. Do no share eye drops. Wash towels, wash cloths and other linens that the child has used separately in hot water from the rest of the family’s laundry to avoid spread.

Treatment:

Viral and irritant conjunctivitis do not need antibiotics.

Antibiotics eye drops or ointment is used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis.

Allergy eye drops like Patanol, Pataday, Zaditor etc. can be used to treat allergic conjunctivitis.

Cool compresses can be soothing to the child’s eyes. Contact lenses should not be worn till the infection is gone. Disinfect the contact lenses and their storage case before reusing them. If the child has disposable contact lenses, discard them and get a new pair.

A professional should always be consulted when you believe your child has a case of Conjunctivitis. At Durant Road Pediatrics’ convenient office located at 10880 Durant Road, Suite 215, Raleigh NC we take the extra time and effort to ensure the safety and comfort of your child.  Contact us today to have Dr. Arora diagnose, treat and explain your Child’s illness and how to prevent future occurrences.