Is conjunctivitis contagious?

There are many kinds of common diseases in life. When it comes to treating diseases, the choice of methods is very critical. When it comes to treating diseases like conjunctivitis, we cannot choose some treatment methods at random. This type of disease is quite harmful to human health, and the treatment of such diseases also needs to be carried out for a long time. Is conjunctivitis contagious? Many patients and their families do not know much about it. There are also many infectious diseases nowadays.

A disease like conjunctivitis also requires a good method for treatment, so the question of whether conjunctivitis is contagious is introduced in detail below so that you can have a good understanding of this issue and actively cooperate during treatment.

Is conjunctivitis contagious?

Viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious and is spread by droplets, fomites, and hand-to-eye inoculation. To avoid cross infection, doctors must wash their hands thoroughly and disinfect the instruments used after examining the patient. Instruct patients to wash their hands thoroughly after contact with their ocular or nasal secretions and to avoid touching an infected eye before touching a non-infected eye. And avoid sharing towels and pillows. Eye secretions must be removed and the affected eye should not be sealed. Viral conjunctivitis is self-limited, lasting from 1 week in mild cases to 3 weeks in severe cases. If conjunctivitis is confirmed to be caused by a virus, no treatment is needed or is ineffective.

If any clinical features are consistent with bacterial conjunctivitis, the patient is treated with a topical antibiotic, such as 10% sodium sulfacetamide eye drops or trimethoprim/polymyxin B, 4 times a day for 7 to 10 days. Severe conjunctivitis with pseudomembranes, corneal inflammation or scarring that affects vision may require topical corticosteroids. However, topical corticosteroids can aggravate ocular herpes simplex virus infection and may cause corneal ulceration or even perforation. Long-term use of corticosteroids can cause glaucoma and possibly cataracts, so the use of corticosteroids must be initiated and monitored by an ophthalmologist.

Through the above introduction, we have some understanding of whether conjunctivitis is contagious. This disease is also contagious, so when treating such a disease, we need a good method. However, it should be noted that during the treatment of such a disease, family members should pay attention to the patient's diet and emotions, which will help improve the patient's disease.