Causes and Symptoms
Labels Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis may have a number of different causes. Some are not contagious,
while others can be transmitted from person to person. The
symptoms also vary somewhat depending on the cause:
while others can be transmitted from person to person. The
symptoms also vary somewhat depending on the cause:
- Allergic conjunctivitis. Allergic conjunctivitis is caused by pollen,
dust, and the other types of allergens that cause hay fever and other
seasonal allergies in some people. Both eyes are usually affected.
The eyes are usually very watery and itchy in this type of conjunctivitis,
and the eyelids may swell up or look puffy. - Viral conjunctivitis. This type of conjunctivitis is contagious and
often gets started when viruses from an upper respiratory infection
like a cold are carried into the eye by hand-to-eye contact. The
infection usually starts in one eye but often spreads to the other
within a day or two. The discharge from the eye is usually watery.
A person with viral conjunctivitis is contagious for one to two
weeks after their symptoms first appear. - Bacterial conjunctivitis. Like viral conjunctivitis, this type is also
contagious and can be spread by sexual contact with someone
infected with gonorrhea or chlamydia as well as by hand-to-eye
transmission. Pregnant women infected with gonorrhea or chlamydia
can give their babies a particularly dangerous type of bacterial
conjunctivitis during childbirth known as ophthalmia
neonatorum, which can cause blindness if untreated. Bacterial
conjunctivitis is often accompanied by a gritty or sandy feeling
in the eyes and a yellowish or grayish pus-filled discharge that
causes the eyelids to stick together during sleep. Bacterial conjunctivitis
usually appears within three days after the person is infected
with the bacteria. Like viral conjunctivitis, it often begins in one
eye but can spread to the other. - Chemical splash (toxic conjunctivitis). This type of conjunctivitis
is noninfectious. It is caused by getting an irritating chemical
in the eye (such as shampoo or chlorine from swimming in pool water)
and usually affects only the lower part of the conjunctiva inside
the lower eyelid. Redness of the affected eye is sometimes
caused by flushing the eye to wash out the chemical. - Foreign body in the eye. Like toxic conjunctivitis, this type of
conjunctivitis is notinfectious. It usually affects only one eye
and may be accompanied by a mucus-like discharge. - Chronic or recurrent conjunctivitis. Some people develop
recurrent episodes of conjunctivitis from wearing contact lenses or
overusing certain types of eye drops. This type of conjunctivitis
is not contagious. - Conjunctivitis associated with dry eyes or other eye disorders.
Some eye disorders are associated with a gradual loss of normal tear
secretions in the eye, which can lead to conjunctivitis.
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