Contents

SynopsisCodesLook ForDiagnostic PearlsDifferential Diagnosis & PitfallsBest TestsManagement PearlsTherapyReferences

Information for Patients

View all Images (9)

Bacterial conjunctivitis - External and Internal Eye
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed

Bacterial conjunctivitis - External and Internal Eye

Contributors: Brandon D. Ayres MD, Christopher Rapuano MD, Harvey A. Brown MD, Sunir J. Garg MD, Lauren Patty Daskivich MD, MSHS
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed

Synopsis

Bacterial conjunctivitis is much less common than viral or allergic conjunctivitis in adults. Children and people with chronic ocular conditions tend to be more prone to bacterial conjunctivitis.

Patients will typically complain of ocular irritation, redness, foreign body sensation, and tearing associated with increased discharge. Itching is less common in bacterial conjunctivitis.

Inoculation of the conjunctiva is usually by direct hand-eye contact or can be due to direct spread of organisms located in the patient's own nasal passageway or sinuses. Often, patients will have concurrent sinus disease, upper respiratory infection (URI), or infectious dacryocystitis (infection of the lacrimal sac).

The onset of symptoms is usually over days to weeks but can be as short as 24 hours (hyperacute) or as long as years (chronic conjunctivitis). Hyperacute conjunctivitis is typically caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and chronic conjunctivitis is typically caused by Chlamydia trachomatis or Staphylococcus associated with blepharitis. Acute forms of bacterial conjunctivitis are the most common manifestations associated with the diagnosis.

Note: As of August 25, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reminding the public that these recalled products should not be used due to potential bacterial contamination: EzriCare Artificial Tears, Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears, and Delsam Pharma Artificial Ointment. As of November 2023, the FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or use certain eye drops from several major brands due to risk of eye infection. Refer to the FDA list for more information. As of January 31, 2024, the FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or use South Moon, Rebright, or FivFivGo eye drops because of the potential risk of eye infection; these are copycat products easily mistaken for Bausch + Lomb's Lumify brand eye drops (an over-the-counter product approved for redness relief).

Codes

ICD10CM:
H10.89 – Other conjunctivitis

SNOMEDCT:
128350005 – Bacterial conjunctivitis

Look For

Subscription Required

Diagnostic Pearls

Subscription Required

Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls

To perform a comparison, select diagnoses from the classic differential

Subscription Required

Best Tests

Subscription Required

Management Pearls

Subscription Required

Therapy

Subscription Required

References

Subscription Required

Last Reviewed:08/25/2019
Last Updated:02/15/2024
Copyright © 2024 VisualDx®. All rights reserved.
Patient Information for Bacterial conjunctivitis - External and Internal Eye
Print E-Mail Images (9)
Contributors: Medical staff writer
Premium Feature
VisualDx Patient Handouts
Available in the Elite package
  • Improve treatment compliance
  • Reduce after-hours questions
  • Increase patient engagement and satisfaction
  • Written in clear, easy-to-understand language. No confusing jargon.
  • Available in English and Spanish
  • Print out or email directly to your patient
Copyright © 2024 VisualDx®. All rights reserved.
Bacterial conjunctivitis - External and Internal Eye
A medical illustration showing key findings of Bacterial conjunctivitis : Eye irritation, Conjunctival injection, Excessive tearing, Mucopurulent eye discharge
Ophthalmic Imaging image of Bacterial conjunctivitis - imageId=3193157. Click to open in gallery.
Copyright © 2024 VisualDx®. All rights reserved.