Can conjunctivitis be contagious?

Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 08, 2024
00:00
00:00

Hyperacute bacterial conjunctivitis, acute or subacute bacterial conjunctivitis is highly contagious and requires isolation to prevent spread and epidemics. When one eye is infected, measures should be taken to prevent infection of the other eye. Strict attention should be paid to personal and communal hygiene, advocating frequent hand and face washing, and avoiding wiping eyes with hands or sleeves. Strict disinfection of face washing utensils, towels, and medical instruments used by the patient is also necessary.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
46sec home-news-image

Acute conjunctivitis is commonly known as pink eye.

Acute conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye or "fire eye," is more prevalent in spring and summer. It is a seasonal contagious disease, mainly transmitted through contact. Transmission often occurs by touching the secretions from the eyes of an infected person, shaking hands with someone who has pink eye, or by rubbing the eyes with dirty hands. Acute conjunctivitis is highly contagious, and the symptoms of eye irritation are quite severe, including sensations of stinging, burning, foreign body sensation, as well as photophobia, tearing, and purulent discharge. It is essential to seek medical attention promptly and to emphasize isolation and disinfection.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
36sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of conjunctivitis?

According to the onset speed of conjunctivitis, it can be divided into hyperacute conjunctivitis, acute or subacute conjunctivitis, and chronic conjunctivitis. The symptoms of conjunctivitis mainly include foreign body sensation, burning sensation, itching eyes, photophobia, tearing, and significant signs include conjunctival congestion, edema, increased secretions, papillary hyperplasia, follicles, pseudomembranes and true membranes, granuloma, and so on.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
31sec home-news-image

Can you take a bath with conjunctivitis?

Patients with conjunctivitis can bathe, but should strictly pay attention to personal and collective hygiene, advocate frequent handwashing and face washing, and avoid wiping eyes with hands or sleeves. Do not share a towel with others. Patients in the acute phase need to be isolated to prevent transmission and curb the epidemic. When one eye is infected, precautions should be taken to prevent the other eye from being infected.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
58sec home-news-image

Trachoma conjunctivitis symptoms

Trachoma is a chronic infectious conjunctivitis and keratitis caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, which can lead to blindness. During the acute phase in both eyes, symptoms include redness, pain, foreign body sensation, tearing, and purulent discharge, along with swollen lymph nodes, increased papillary formation in the palpebral conjunctiva, and multiple follicles covering the superior and inferior fornices. After the acute phase, which lasts one to two months, it enters a chronic phase where conjunctival congestion decreases, and the conjunctiva thickens with increased papillary and follicular formation. Complications in the later chronic stage mainly include entropion and trichiasis, eyelid ptosis, symblepharon, essential keratoconjunctivitis sicca, and chronic dacryocystitis leading to corneal opacity, among others.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Xi Feng
Ophthalmology
34sec home-news-image

How many days can conjunctivitis heal?

Conjunctivitis can be categorized by the speed of onset into hyperacute, subacute, acute, and chronic types. It can also be classified by severity into mild, moderate, and severe. Acute conjunctivitis usually is self-limiting, with the condition lasting about two weeks. Effective localized treatment and administration of sensitive antibiotics can lead to recovery within a few days. In contrast, chronic conjunctivitis is not self-limiting and is more challenging to treat.