Your health, your choices. Choose the right service. Conjunctivitis is a common condition that causes redness and inflammation of the thin layer of tissue that covers the front of the eye the conjunctiva.

People often refer to conjunctivitis as red eye.

Viral Conjunctivitis: Practice Essentials, Background, Etiology

Read more about the symptoms of conjunctivitis. Read more about the causes of conjunctivitis. Treatment isn't usually needed for conjunctivitis, because the symptoms often clear up within a couple of weeks.

If treatment is needed, the type of treatment will depend on the cause. In severe cases, antibiotic eye drops can be used to clear the infection. Allergic conjunctivitis can usually be treated with anti-allergy medications such as antihistamines. If possible, you should avoid the substance that triggered the allergy. It's best not to wear contact lenses until the symptoms have cleared up.

Any sticky or crusty coating on the eyelids or lashes can be cleansed with cotton wool and water. Read more about treating conjunctivitis. If there are a number of conjunctivitis cases at your child's school or nursery, you may be advised to keep them away until their infection has cleared up. Generally, adults who work in close contact with others, or share equipment such as phones and computers, shouldn't return to work until the discharge has cleared up. Complications of conjunctivitis are rare, but when they do occur they can be serious and include:.

Read more about the complications of conjunctivitis. Neonatal conjunctivitis is a type of conjunctivitis that affects newborn babies less than 28 days old. Most cases of neonatal conjunctivitis aren't particularly serious.

These infections don't necessarily cause symptoms in the mother, so many of them are unaware they're infected. With STIs, there's a possibility of serious complications if the infection is left untreated.

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Overview Conjunctivitis-infective Clinical trials.

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Neonatal conjunctivitis Neonatal conjunctivitis is a type of conjunctivitis that affects newborn babies less than 28 days old. Ratings How helpful is this page? Average rating Unhelpful Not very helpful Fairly helpful Helpful Very helpful. All ratings Unhelpful Not very helpful Fairly helpful Helpful Very helpful. Unhelpful Not very helpful Fairly helpful Helpful Very helpful. Add your rating Unhelpful Not very helpful Fairly helpful Helpful Very helpful.

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