Introduction
The classical swimming pool conjunctivitis takes its name from the previously frequent infection in the swimming pool. In the meantime, the infection rates in swimming pools are extremely rare under good hygienic conditions, which is why the term is no longer entirely up-to-date. Swimming pool conjunctivitis is an infectious inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by bacteria.
It is also known as paratrachoma or, when it occurs in newborns, as inclusion body conjunctivitis. If the bacterium attaches itself to the conjunctiva, an inflammation can occur, which manifests itself with redness, burning and itching of the eye and occasionally pus formation. Since the trigger of the disease is bacterial, antibiotic eye drops can be used for treatment. Usually, swimming pool conjunctivitis heals without consequences after a few days.
Treatment of swimming pool conjunctivitis
The treatment of conjunctivitis can initially be purely symptomatic. Eye drops that regularly moisten the eye are used. They can reduce itching and burning of the eyes and thus relieve the symptoms.
If the symptoms do not improve within a few days as a result of the eye drops alone, an infectious cause of the conjunctivitis must be assumed. A smear should be taken to examine the underlying pathogen. If it turns out to be an infection with Chlamydia, i.e. swimming pool conjunctivitis, antibiotic therapy should be administered.
Since chlamydiae are bacteria that like to hide in human cells, therapy should be carried out both with antibiotic eye drops and systemic therapy (e.g. tablets). For this purpose, antibiotics from the group of macrolides can be used. For example, erythromycin and azithromycin are often used for systemic therapy, and there are also erythromycin eye drops that attack the bacteria directly in the eye.
It is also important to observe strict hygienic rules: You should not rub your eyes and wash your hands frequently so that the pathogens cannot be transmitted to other people. During the treatment, the additional treatment of the partner is necessary. The partner does not necessarily have to have symptoms, but can also be a silent carrier of the pathogen.
In this way, the patient concerned can unknowingly become infected again after the therapy, which is known as the ping-pong effect. It is therefore essential that the partner is also treated. If the diagnosis is made late or the therapy is inadequate, the symptoms can last from weeks to months.
In addition, the risk of infection is very high, so that people in the immediate vicinity can also become infected quickly. Sufficient hand hygiene should always be ensured and hand-eye contact should be avoided. With good treatment, swimming pool conjunctivitis usually heals within a few days to a week without further complications or consequences.
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