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Conjunctivitis may be bacterial, viral or allergic.
Significant reduction in vision, pain, lid swelling and membrane formation.
Most infections are viral and/or self-limiting and do not require antibiotics.
Patients should be encouraged to use self-care including the following measures: cleansing the eye lids with a cotton wool ball moistened with boiled and cooled water, paying attention to hand hygiene, and avoiding sharing towels.
Treatments of conjunctivitis are cheap to buy and are readily available over the counter along with advice from pharmacies.
Associated dry eye can be treated with lubricants (Tear deficiency, ocular lubricants, and astringents)
If bacterial conjunctivitis is not controlled by eye cleansing alone, consider anti-infective eye preparations, see Eye infections (conjunctivitis)
Consider oral antihistamines and other anti-inflammatory eye preparations for allergic conjunctivitis, see Antihistamines and Other anti-inflammatory preparations.
Refer if there are no improvement following treatment after 2 weeks - Routine OPD
Refer Urgently if the patient is experiencing any significant reduction in vision, pain, lid swelling and membrane formation.
e-Referral Service Selection:
Specialty: Ophthalmology
Clinic Type: Not Otherwise Specified
Service: DRSS-Western-Ophthalmology--Optom Only-(PCT)-Devon ICB-15N
This guideline has been signed off by NHS Devon
Publication date: May 2022