Conjunctivitis
Basics
Basics
Basics
Description
Description
Infectious and noninfectious inflammation of the conjunctiva; majority of cases are self-limited
Etiology
Etiology
Infectious:
Commonly referred to as “pink eye”:- Bacterial:
- Staphylococcus aureus (most adult infections)
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Moraxella catarrhalis
- Haemophilus influenzae (declining prevalence)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC):
- Neonatal or adult
- Ophthalmic emergency
- Chlamydia trachomatis:
- Neonatal or subacute infection (teens/adults)
- Viral:
- Adenovirus, most common:
- Some serotypes cause fulminant form – epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), ophthalmic emergency
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV):
Noninfectious
- Allergic:
- Pollen, animal dander, environmental antigens
- Contact/toxic/chemical:
- May be due to chemical irritation, hypersensitivity from preservatives, medications, shampoo, chlorine, dust, smoke
- Pseudomonas commonly implicated organism in contact lens wearers
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