Redness, copious watering, swelling and increased sensitivity to bright light – all this speaks of such a serious disease as conjunctivitis. This is nothing more than inflammation of the eyes, which usually occurs at a young age – 20-30 years old. Moreover, women suffer from it three times more often than men. This pathological process brings discomfort to the patient and significantly affects his quality of life. With it, it is impossible to read, watch TV and work at a computer. And in a neglected state, such a disease can even lead to blindness. The online publication estet-portal.com will tell you about this pathology and how to avoid its occurrence.
Chlamydial conjunctivitis: what is it
Medically, chlamydial conjunctivitis – This is an infectious inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyeball, which is caused by a chlamydial infection. The disease can be both acute and chronic. It occurs in adult men and women. But it is not uncommon for newborns to be affected as well.
According to medical research, eye inflammation accounts for about 30% of all infectious conjunctivitis.
A pathological process develops, as a rule, against the background of urogenital chlamydia, sexually transmitted.
What provokes the appearance of an inflammatory process
As we have already mentioned, the disease is caused by a chlamydial infection that is already present in the body. It usually affects the genitals. Based on this, we can conclude that infection from one person to another often occurs through household contact, when chlamydia is introduced into the eyes from the genitals. So, often bacteria enter through unwashed hands after intercourse and personal hygiene items, on which the biological fluid or mucous secretions of the partner remain. Often there are cases when people become infected after visiting the pool, bath or sauna.
A newborn baby can become infected during childbirth. When he passes through the birth canal, the infection from the infected mother is transmitted to him.
The main symptoms of the disease that everyone should know about
Chlamydial conjunctivitis usually doesn't show itself right away. The first "bell" indicating damage to the mucous membrane of the eye appears after 5 – 14 days after infection. At first, only one eye usually becomes inflamed, and then – second.
Acute inflammatory process is accompanied by the following unpleasant symptoms:
• swelling and redness of the mucous membrane of the eye;
• purulent discharge from the eyes, which stick together swollen eyelids, and also attach to them in the form of dry crusts;
• follicular growths on the lower eyelid;
• stinging in the eyes;
• sensitivity to bright light.
There are cases when not only the eye, but also the auditory tube becomes inflamed, resulting in noise in the ear, and over time, the quality of hearing may deteriorate. In young children, in addition to the above symptoms, the development of rhinitis, acute otitis media, eustachitis, chlamydial pneumonia can also be observed.
Acute conjunctivitis lasts from 14 days to 3 months. If during this time the disease does not go away, it means that it has become chronic.
With chronic inflammation of the eyes, the symptoms are not so pronounced. This form of the disease is accompanied by slight swelling and redness of the mucous membrane of the eye, as well as a slight secretion of mucus. But chronic pathology can worsen sooner or later. And if measures are not taken in time, frequent relapses may occur, as a result of which vision will decrease.
What to do if you find conjunctivitis
If all the symptoms converge, then you should immediately run to the ophthalmologist. To confirm the diagnosis, he will prescribe a series of laboratory tests: biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy, cytological analysis, serological tests. As a material for analysis, secretions are used, which are scraped off from the upper and lower eyelids under local anesthesia with disposable probes.
To relieve eye inflammation and eradicate the cause of the disease, the doctor prescribes tetracycline antibiotics in the form of ointments or eye drops, as well as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Treatment of conjunctivitis is quite long. Complete recovery of the patient does not occur earlier than in three weeks.
Prevention: Warned – means armed
The consequences of inflammation of the eyes can be sad, up to blindness. Therefore, in order to avoid such a final, you need to take care of your health in advance. This means that casual sex should be avoided. It is better to have one permanent sexual partner than a dozen infected. It is also important to have personal hygiene products and not give them to anyone. And you need to wash your hands with soap more often, especially after visiting a public toilet, sexual intercourse and other activities. And when swimming in a public pool, do not forget about special glasses.
Only if you are armed with information regarding conjunctivitis and preventive methods will you keep your eyes healthy and vision – sharp.
Read also: What is the most effective treatment for conjunctivitis
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