Viral conjunctivitis - key symptoms and treatment

The eyes in the body are very unprotected body. Although they have eyelids, lacrimal fluid and other mechanisms that protect them from external influences - there are still a lot of diseases that are very easy to "pick up".An example is viral conjunctivitis, which can greatly damage the health of the eye if one does not know how to cure conjunctivitis.

What it is

Viral conjunctivitis is an acute inflammatory disease that affects the mucous membrane of the eyes and is caused by various viral infections.

Adenoviruses and herpesviruses are usually the cause of the disease, but they are not the only ones dealing with this.

This disease, according to statistics, is the leader among all eye diseases. Sometimes it can take almost an epidemic character.It's easy to infect them, but the process of recovery can sometimes be quite long and problematic.

The symptomatology of the disease can vary greatly depending on which virus the role played causative agent, because it is necessary to consider the various variations of the disease that arise from different viruses.

Causes

The cause of viral conjunctivitis may be various types of viral diseases that occur in the human body. It is accepted to divide viral conjunctivitis into 3 subspecies:

• Adenoviral.It develops against the background of various diseases of the upper respiratory tract. For example, pharyngitis may occur. Often everything is accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature. This form can also be divided into three conventional views. The catarrhal is characterized by an easy course, the inflammation is insignificant, and the mucous discharge is quite small. In less than a week, the illness will pass. The second type is film, it occurs in a quarter of possible situations, when it appears on the eye a film of a greyish-white hue, which is easily removed with a swab. Beneath it is a surface that bleeds sufficiently. Finally, the follicular appearance of the disease is characterized by the appearance of bubbles on the mucous membrane of the eye, which have different sizes.

• Epidemic.It usually appears due to the ingestion of the Koch-Wicks sticks. Usually, the source of the disease is a person who tolerates the causative agent of the disease. Sometimes flies, frequent transmitters of the disease can also participate in the transmission. This form begins especially sharply, and can last up to several months. Both eyes usually get sick in turn.
• Herpetic.It is a form of viral conjunctivitis that occurs due to the effect of the herpes virus.

The problem with herpes is that it can not be overcome completely, it still remains at least in some form, so there can often be relapses of this problem.

• The herpetic variant of the disease runs quite hard, often a deterioration of vision may occur, in the worst cases until the development of blindness.It can also be divided into three different forms. It is follicular, in which the disease proceeds particularly slowly and sluggishly, accompanied by the precipitation of herpetic vesicles on the skin of the eyelids and the wings of the nose. The catarrhal form proceeds more sharply, but it lasts less. There is also a vesicular-ulcerative form of the disease, in which transparent bubbles appear in the conjunctiva. After they fall off, small sores or small erosion may appear.

Theoretically, there may be other variants of the onset of the disease. In general, even the usual ARVI can become the reason that on its background the conjunctivitis will develop. Therefore, it is necessary to try to ensure that you do not incur unnecessary risk of infection with any viral infections. If there is a chance to avoid them - it is worth avoiding.

Symptoms

Symptoms directly depend on which of the variations of the disease described above appear in humans.

• Adenoviral.A small fever, a fever, a strong reddening of the eye can not develop, the separated contents of the eyes are minimal, in the extreme case it is a thin grayish film.
• The epidemic.Often, with this form of problem, a person can not open his eyes in the morning, because they stick together sufficiently because of mucus drying. Sometimes small hemorrhages occur under the conjunctiva. Sometimes there may be enough headaches, the temperature may rise. Sometimes the lymph nodes near the ear and in the jaw area increase. Sometimes there is photophobia, there is a feeling that the eyes are very much clogged. Sometimes there are precise opacities that can then go into general deterioration of vision.
• Herpetic.Bright mucous discharge begins to appear on the eyes, the eye shell becomes hyperemic and slightly rough, transparent bubbles in the conjunctiva can appear. The disease does not proceed actively, but it often resumes.

Diagnostics

Usually it is enough to make an anamnesis for a primary setting, to carry out a visual examination of the patient, because most of the signs are on the surface.The doctor may prescribe an additional analysis of scrapings or smears to identify signs of infection.

Treatment

Treatment is usually medicated.Depending on what kind of problem struck a person, various drugs can be prescribed, from interferon to penicillin.The main disease is treated, the human body is strengthened in parallel and the effects of inflammation are mitigated to neutralize the negative effect of conjunctivitis.

Self-medication is unacceptable. You can hurt yourself and only aggravate the situation in the future.

Pathogens of viral conjunctivitis

Complications

Although in most cases the prognosis of the course of the disease is positive, it is still not abolished that fact that serious problems can arise when the condition is neglected.Usually they consist in lowering the overall level of vision, but sometimes it is possible to completely lose sight entirely if the complications of the problem reach the extreme stage.

Prevention

Prevention of viral conjunctivitis primarily begins with the strengthening of immunity. This is important, because all the inflammatory processes are manifested - and intensify against a background of various diseases. It is necessary regularly:

• do sport;
• perform procedures that help harden;
• balanced and moderate eating;
• take vitamin complexes.

It is also necessary to avoid close contact with people who are definitely ill with a viral infection - or, even worse, already have a developed form of viral conjunctivitis.

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conclusions

Viral conjunctivitis is an unpleasant and dangerous phenomenon that must necessarily be treated. Therefore, if the first symptoms of the problem were identified, you can not ignore them, you need to turn to the ophthalmologist. In addition, it will not be superfluous to observe at least minimal precautions, and also to strengthen immunity. Then the probability that the disease will manifest itself will be minimal.