What do I have to consider during the treatment?
Conjunctivitis can have many different causes. These must be found out before the therapy is initiated so that the treatment can be adjusted accordingly. In general, care should be taken not to expose the irritated eye to additional stimuli such as draughts or dust in the case of conjunctivitis.
This could worsen the inflammation. Rubbing the eye should also be avoided. On the one hand, in order not to put additional strain on the eye, and on the other hand to prevent a possible transmission of the pathogens to fellow humans.
Maintaining strict hygiene is very important in the course of therapy. Regular hand washing should also be observed. If it is conjunctivitis, which is caused by mechanical stimuli, the first measure of therapy is to remove or avoid the trigger.
This may be due to sunlight, contact lenses or exposure to dust. Conjunctivitis usually heals by itself after a few days and does not require further therapy. Even very dry eyes can lead to conjunctivitis.
In this case tear substitutes can be used for treatment. Eye drops containing cortisone should not be used, however, as the dryness is further aggravated by this. In the case of an allergy-induced conjunctivitis, it must first be determined which allergen causes the symptoms.
This is often pollen or animal hair. The allergen should be avoided as permanently as possible. In the case of a pollen allergy, desensitization is a possible therapy option.
There are also eye drops and other medicines that can be used during the hay fever season to relieve the symptoms. If the conjunctivitis has a bacterial cause, antibiotic-containing medication is used. As a rule, local treatment with eye drops or eye ointment is sufficient.
If viruses are the cause of conjunctivitis, in most cases there is no special therapy. The symptoms disappear of their own accord after a few days. However, if herpes viruses are the trigger of the inflammation, a relief can be achieved by the administration of acyclovir.
Medicines for conjunctivitis
The use of artificial tears can often relieve the symptoms of itchy and dry eyes. In addition, depending on the cause, various drugs can be used to treat conjunctivitis. In the case of allergy-related conjunctivitis, antiallergic eye drops and medications, so-called antihistamines, can be taken to bridge the hay fever period and can alleviate the symptoms.
In the short term, eye drops containing cortisone can also be used to relieve the acute symptoms, such as very itchy and watery eyes. However, these should be used with caution due to the comparatively high side effects. Bacterial conjunctivitis must be treated with antibiotic-containing eye drops or eye ointments to kill the bacteria.
These must be used by the patient long enough to achieve an effective effect. Even after the symptoms have subsided, the therapy should be continued for a few days so that the inflammation does not recur. It rarely happens that, in the case of a severe course of the disease, the bacteria have to be precisely determined in order to choose a suitable antibiotic.
If a bacterial infection has spread to the eye and caused conjunctivitis, the additional administration of an antibiotic in tablet form is necessary. An example of this is Chlamydia, which is the cause of a sexually transmitted disease. The sexual partner should be treated additionally.
or Floxal eye drops or Floxal eye ointment A drug therapy for viruses is usually not possible. Herpes viruses are an exception. If these have attacked the conjunctiva, the antiviral agent Aciclovir helps.
The use of artificial tears can often alleviate the symptoms of itchy and dry eyes. In addition, depending on the cause, various drugs can be used to treat conjunctivitis. In the case of allergy-related conjunctivitis, antiallergic eye drops and medications, so-called antihistamines, can be taken to bridge the hay fever period and can alleviate the symptoms.
In the short term, eye drops containing cortisone can also be used to relieve the acute symptoms, such as very itchy and watery eyes. However, these should be used with caution due to the comparatively high side effects. Bacterial conjunctivitis must be treated with antibiotic-containing eye drops or eye ointments to kill the bacteria.
These must be used by the patient long enough to achieve an effective effect. Even after the symptoms have subsided, the therapy should be continued for a few days so that the inflammation does not recur. It rarely happens that, in the case of a severe course of the disease, the bacteria have to be precisely determined in order to choose a suitable antibiotic.
If a bacterial infection has spread to the eye and caused conjunctivitis, the additional administration of an antibiotic in tablet form is necessary. An example of this is Chlamydia, which is the cause of a sexually transmitted disease. The sexual partner should be treated additionally.
Drug therapy for viruses is usually not possible. Herpes viruses are an exception. If these have attacked the conjunctiva, the antiviral agent Aciclovir helps.
Overall, it is true that antibiotics tend to be used too frequently for the symptom of “reddened eyes” in children. This is the case when the inflammation is not of bacterial origin. Only if bacteria are the cause of the symptoms is the use of antibiotics justified.
In recent years, the increased occurrence of resistant bacterial strains has led to a change in guidelines for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis. Thus, if possible, i.e. depending on the severity of the inflammation, it should first be waited a few days to see whether the inflammation does not disappear without the use of antibiotics. Only if the inflammation persists or gets worse should antibiotics be taken.
An exception is the infection of the newborn with gonococcus or chlamydia, which can cause conjunctivitis and should always be treated with antibiotics, otherwise there is a risk of blindness. There are a number of different sources that recommend different home remedies for use in conjunctivitis. First of all, it is important that conjunctivitis is diagnosed by a doctor.
Since different eye diseases can cause very similar symptoms, it is important that serious, dangerous diseases can be excluded at first. After the doctor has made the diagnosis, the individual therapy can be discussed together with the doctor. Particularly in cases where bacteria or viruses are the cause of the inflammation, caution is required.
In these cases, household remedies may even cause more damage than a cure. The use of common household remedies such as curd cheese or chamomile may be considered if mechanical irritation alone led to the inflammation and an improvement can be expected with household remedies. Also when using household remedies against conjunctivitis, hygiene is the most important thing.
Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after treating the eyes. There are various herbal eye drops that can alleviate the symptoms of conjunctivitis. Eyebright (Euphrasia) is particularly helpful in cases of allergic and viral conjunctivitis, as it relieves itching and counteracts dryness of the eye.
Black tea can also be applied to the eye in the form of cooling compresses to alleviate the symptoms. The tea is boiled and after cooling, the tea bag is placed on the eye. It is important to use a new tea bag for each treatment.
Quark has also proven to be a helpful household remedy against swelling and for cooling. In the case of conjunctivitis, it can be placed on the eyes in the form of quark pads. For this purpose, about 100 grams of curd cheese are placed on a cotton cloth that has previously been rinsed with cool water.
The cloth is folded to form a bag which is placed on the closed eyes for about 30 minutes. Camomile tea, sage, marigold or fennel tea are also considered household remedies for conjunctivitis. Dip a compress into the cooled tea and apply to the eyes for about 15 minutes.
This can be repeated several times a day. Another household remedy is onion milk. For this, chopped onions are boiled with milk until they are soft. Then pour the milk through a sieve and cool it down to about body temperature with a teaspoon of honey. With this liquid, the eyes can be cleaned several times a day.
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