Conjunctivitis

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Conjunctivitis is inflammation (redness, pain, and swelling) of your conjunctiva. Conjunctivitis is also known as pink eye. Your conjunctiva is a thin and moist skin tissue that covers the front part of your eyeball. It also covers the back of your eyelids. Your conjunctiva contains cells that help fight infections. The most common infections that cause conjunctivitis are from germs called viruses or bacteria. Conjunctivitis is also commonly caused by allergies. Your caregiver may do eye tests or blood tests to help him figure out what caused your conjunctivitis.
  
  
• Conjunctivitis may get better with or without treatment. Your caregiver may give you medicine to help relieve your symptoms. Bacterial conjunctivitis may be treated with antibiotics (germ-killing medicine). Allergic conjunctivitis is usually treated by removing the allergen (what is giving you allergies). You also may be treated with anti-allergy medicines. If you have viral conjunctivitis, it will usually go away on its own. Treatment may help decrease your symptoms and you may be less likely to spread the infection to others. Treatment may help you go back to work or be around other people sooner than without treatment.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

RISKS:

• You may have a burning, itching, or stinging feeling in your eye when you use eye drops or ointment. Taking anti-allergy medicine may make you drowsy, or cause dryness of your eyes, nose, or mouth. Antibiotics may cause you to have a bad taste in your mouth. Your eyes may also become sensitive to light. Your eyes may water (tear) more than usual or become crusty. You may have an allergic reaction to your medicine and have trouble breathing. NSAIDs may make your eye swell or bleed. Parts of your eye may also become damaged.
  
  
• Using steroid medicine may cause serious eye problems, such as glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye). Steroids may also cause you to have cataracts (clouding of the eye) and poor eyesight. Without treatment, you may get scars or sores in your eye. Bacteria in your eye may infect your sinuses (holes in your skull). Bacteria may also infect the other parts of your eye and the tissue lining your brain. Your eyesight may become worse or you may become blind. If you get a serious eyeball inflammation like ophthalmitis or cellulitis, you may die. Ask your caregiver if you have questions or concerns about your condition or care.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Informed consent: You have the right to understand your health condition in words that you know. You should be told what tests, treatments, or procedures may be done to treat your condition. Your doctor should also tell you about the risks and benefits of each treatment. You may be asked to sign a consent form that gives caregivers permission to do certain tests, treatments, or procedures. If you are unable to give your consent, someone who has permission can sign this form for you. A consent form is a legal piece of paper that tells exactly what will be done to you. Before giving your consent, make sure all your questions have been answered so that you understand what may happen.

• IV: An IV is a tube placed in your vein for giving medicine or liquids. This tube is capped or connected to tubing and liquid.
  
  
• Medicine:
  
  
  • Anti-allergy medicine: This medicine helps decrease symptoms from allergic reactions such as itching, redness, or swelling. This may be given as a pill or eye drops. You may also be given anti-allergy medicine to spray into your nose.
    
    
  • Antibiotic medicine: Once your caregiver determines what type of bacteria is causing your conjunctivitis, he may give you antibiotics. Many antibiotic medicines for conjunctivitis are given as eye drops or eye ointment. Antibiotic medicine may be given as a pill, as a shot into your muscle, or using an IV. Antibiotics may help decrease your symptoms and shorten the time that you are sick. Antibiotics may also help prevent you from getting conjunctivitis again.
    
    
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAIDs): NSAIDs may help decrease your itching, pain, redness, and swelling. NSAIDs may also help prevent conjunctivitis from spreading to your other eye.
    
    
  • Steroid medicine: Steroid medicine may be given to decrease inflammation. This medicine may be given to you as eye drops, by mouth, or as a nasal spray. Steroids can help a lot but may also have side effects. Be sure you understand why you need steroids. Do not take more steroids that your caregiver says to take. Do not stop taking this medicine without your caregivers OK. Taking too much steroids or stopping on your own can cause problems.
  
  
• Tests:
  
  
  • Slit-lamp microscope: Your caregiver will use a special microscope with a bright light to look into your eye. He will look for signs of infection or inflammation. This microscope also helps your caregiver see if the different parts of your eyes are healthy.
    
    
  • Visual acuity: Your caregiver may use this test to check your vision. He will see whether your eyesight is clear and sharp. You will read letters or look at images to test how well you can see.
    
    
  • Fundus exam: Your caregiver will give you medicine that makes your pupils larger. Your pupils are black dots at the center of your eyes. Using a special tool, he will look inside your eye through the pupil. He will examine the different parts of the insides of your eye to see if they are healthy.
    
    
  • Visual field: In a visual field test, your caregiver will have you look forward into a machine. He will then ask you to tell him when you see an image, such as a dot. This will help your caregiver see how wide your eyes can see.
    
    
  • Lab tests: You may need to have blood tests to help your caregiver figure out what caused your conjunctivitis. Your caregiver may also take samples from your conjunctiva and send them to a lab for tests. The blood or tissue samples may be cultured (grown) or stained with chemicals. Your caregiver may also test your skin for allergies.

Copyright © 2008 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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