Viral conjunctivitis, as the name implies, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by a viral infection. The basic signs and symptoms are the same as those of acute bacterial conjunctivitis, but have their own characteristics, such as viral conjunctivitis, which usually appears after an incubation period of about a week, including conjunctival congestion and aqueous discharge, often in both eyes, and usually starts in one eye first. Many patients have been exposed to patients with conjunctivitis and/or recent upper respiratory tract infections. Examination reveals conjunctival congestion, conjunctival follicles in the lid conjunctiva, and in some cases, enlarged and painful preauricular lymph nodes.
Patients with severe viral conjunctivitis may have photophobia and foreign body sensation, and the virus may even invade the cornea, leaving corneal scarring even after the conjunctivitis eventually subsides, occasionally causing vision loss and glare.
Viral conjunctivitis is a common form of conjunctivitis that can be caused by a variety of viruses, with different clinical manifestations but no major differences in treatment, mainly with antiviral eye solutions and ointments, such as 0.1% vesicant, 0.1% acyclovir ophthalmic solution and ganciclovir eye solution and ointment. The frequency of medication depends on the severity of the disease, but in mild cases, no medication can even be used because viral conjunctivitis is self-limiting and can heal itself in about 1 week, just like the common cold, while in severe cases the disease can last more than 3 weeks.
Because viral conjunctivitis is extremely contagious, it is highly contagious by contact and transmitted by droplets and contaminants as well as by hand inoculation to the eye. To avoid cross infection, patients should be isolated and not go to public places to avoid infecting others. At this time, their own resistance is also low, easy to co-infection with other diseases, so patients should pay attention to rest and diet should be light. Patients must wash their hands thoroughly after touching their eye or nasal secretions, and avoid touching the non-infected eye after touching the infected eye. It is also important to avoid sharing towels and pillows. In addition, ocular secretions must be removed and the affected eye should not be encapsulated, as is the case with acute bacterial conjunctivitis.