Conjunctivitis

Neonatal conjunctivitis is its own thing.

Headline
Etiology Bacterial: Staph, pneumococcus, Moraxella, Haemophilus, Neisseria gonorrhoea
Viral: Herpes simplex, EBV, adenovirus, etc. etc.
Epidemiology Spreads by direct contact or epxosure to secretions
Clinical presentation All causes can lead to Red eye.
Allergic: mucoid/watery discharge, itch
Viral: pre-auricular lymphadenopathy, upp resp symptoms
Bacterial: purulent discharge
Pathogenesis
Diagnostic investigations Complications: orbital cellulitis
Management Good hygiene
stop contact lens use, source ctrl.
Empirical abx: Chloramphenicol - if severe, but most illness is self-limiting
- Contact lens use → urgent ophthal referral, take contact lens to eye casualty
➥ Allergic: avoid eye rubbing, s/s relief, avoid contact lens during treatment
➥➥ TOP antihistamines e.g. azelastine
➥➥ mast cell stabiliser e.g. sodium cromoglicate (requires loading several weeks)
➥ Viral: non-herpetic viral infections are self-limiting ~7d
➥➥ IPC; exclusion period not routine
➥➥ incubation 5-12d; communicable 10-14d