What Is Bacterial Conjunctivitis?

Bacterial conjunctivitis is a common infectious eye disease that accounts for approximately 5% of all cases of conjunctivitis. The disease should be suspected in patients with conjunctival inflammation and purulent exudate. Bacterial conjunctivitis caused by highly toxic bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae can endanger vision. It can be divided into chronic (several days to several weeks), acute or subacute (several hours to several days), and ultraacute (within 24 hours) according to the speed of onset. According to the severity of the disease, it can be divided into mild, moderate and severe. .

Basic Information

English name

Bacterial Conjunctivitis

Visiting department

Ophthalmology

Common locations

conjunctiva

Common causes

Caused by bacterial infection

Common symptoms

Foreign body sensation, burning sensation, itching, purulent discharge, conjunctival hyperemia, increased secretion of conjunctival sac, tearing, swelling of eyelids, etc.

Causes of bacterial conjunctivitis

According to modern medicine, chronic bacterial conjunctivitis is usually caused by: Staphylococcus aureus, denaturing bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas; acute or subacute is usually caused by: Koch-Week bacteria, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus; bacteria that cause superacuteness are: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningococcus.

Clinical manifestations of bacterial conjunctivitis

Bacterial conjunctivitis is a relatively common eye disease. It has a certain infectivity and occurs frequently in spring and autumn. The main clinical feature is very rapid onset, most of which are onset in both eyes. The affected eyes have different degrees of foreign body sensation , Burning sensation, itching, purulent discharge, conjunctival hyperemia, increased conjunctival sac secretion, tearing, swelling of the eyelid, etc.

Bacterial conjunctivitis test

If necessary, perform conjunctival epithelium smears and secretion smears or culture to check bacteria, fungi, and isolate viruses, and do drug sensitivity tests. For those with irritation, check the cornea with fluorescein staining. If necessary, an epidemiological investigation should be carried out.

Diagnosis of bacterial conjunctivitis

The diagnosis can be confirmed by clinical local symptoms, secretion smears or culture of conjunctival scrapes.

Bacterial conjunctivitis treatment

In the early and peak stages of the disease, do a secretion smear or a conjunctival scrape test to determine the pathogenic bacteria, and perform a drug sensitivity test to choose effective drug treatment. Generally, the positive rate of late bacteriological examination is low. For patients with more secretions, the conjunctival sac can be rinsed with 3% boric acid solution or normal saline; if the secretions are not too much, a sterile cotton swab dipped in the above solution can be used to clean the eyes. Early cold compress can reduce eye discomfort caused by this disease. Local treatment: Choose different antibiotic eye drops according to different pathogens, such as 10% sodium sulfamyl, 0.25% chloramphenicol, 0.5% to 1.0% erythromycin solution or neomycin, etc. Every 2 to 3 hours or even every 1 hour; apply antibiotic eye ointment such as 0.5% tetracycline, erythromycin or chlortetracycline eye ointment before going to bed to prevent eyelid adhesion and keep the drug in the conjunctival sac for a longer time. In the case of keratitis, keratitis should be treated. Treatment should be timely and thorough to prevent recurrence. In the early and peak stages of the disease, do a secretion smear or a conjunctival scrape test to determine the pathogenic bacteria, and perform a drug sensitivity test to choose effective drug treatment. Generally, the positive rate of late bacteriological examination is low. For patients with more secretions, the conjunctival sac can be rinsed with 3% boric acid solution or normal saline; if the secretions are not too much, a sterile cotton swab dipped in the above solution can be used to clean the eyes. Early cold compress can reduce eye discomfort caused by this disease. Local treatment: Choose different antibiotic eye drops according to different pathogens, such as 10% sodium sulfamyl, 0.25% chloramphenicol, 0.5% to 1.0% erythromycin solution or neomycin, etc., according to the severity of the disease, each Every 2 to 3 hours or even every 1 hour; apply antibiotic eye ointment such as 0.5% tetracycline, erythromycin or chlortetracycline eye ointment before going to bed to prevent eyelid adhesion and keep the drug in the conjunctival sac for a longer time. In the case of keratitis, keratitis should be treated. Treatment should be timely and thorough to prevent recurrence.