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Facts About Conjunctivitis

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According to The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Illustrated Manual of Ophthalmology, conjunctivitis is defined as an infectious or non-infectious inflammation of the conjunctiva. Conjunctivitis is commonly known as” pink eye”,it is one of the most common eye infection that is seen at the eye doctor’s offices. At any given week, doctors see approximately three to five patients with conjunctivitis, the numbers could be more depending on the season. The doctor will be able to determine whether the conjunctivitis is caused by a virus, bacterium, or allergen, based on patient history, symptoms, and an extensive eye exam.

Types of Conjunctivitis
Caused by Viruses, Bacterium, or Allergies. Have you ever heard someone says …show more content…

Instead, it is the conjunctiva’s inflammatory response to allergens including pollen, animal dander, and other environmental antigens. It’s most consistent symptoms are redness and itching. Since allergic conjunctivitis usually occurs seasonally, just about 10% of individuals seek medical attention, then it would be safe to say this type of conjunctivitis is greatly underdiagnosed. (Azari and Barney 2013).
Facts about conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis affects many people and created many financial and social problems. It is estimated that acute conjunctivitis affect 6 million people annually in the United States. The cost of treating bacterial conjunctivitis was estimated to $377 million to $857 million per year. (Azari and Barney 2013). Majority of conjunctivitis patients are treated by their primary care physicians, rather than their eye care professionals. Studies have shown that approximately 1% of primary care visit are related to conjunctivitis and 70% of patients with acute conjunctivitis visited an urgent care or primary care. (Azari and Barney 2013) Conjunctivitis can be divided into infections and non-infections causes. Viruses and bacterial are the most common causes. Non-infectious includes allergic, toxic and inflammation secondary to immune diseases, conjunctivitis can be primary or secondary to systemic diseases such as gonorrhea, and chlamydia. If you are experiencing any of these signs it is very important to go to see your eye doctor.(Castro

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