What are the types of conjunctivitis in children?

The incidence of conjunctivitis in children is relatively high, and the impact on children's vision health is also relatively large. The symptoms of conjunctivitis are also different, including viral conjunctivitis, bacterial conjunctivitis and chlamydial conjunctivitis. Therefore, parents should understand different types of diseases and adopt targeted treatments.

1. Viral conjunctivitis

Viral conjunctivitis in children is often accompanied by symptoms of respiratory tract infection such as cough and sore throat, as well as manifestations of viral infection such as swollen preauricular lymph nodes and generalized myalgia. One eye is often the first to become infected, and the other eye can be easily infected. The most common clinical disease is epidemic hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, commonly known as "pink eye". This disease is highly contagious and often breaks out in summer and autumn. The disease develops rapidly, with severe eye irritation symptoms and less secretions, and subconjunctival punctate or flake hemorrhages are the most common. Another common type of viral conjunctivitis in children is epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, which is highly contagious and has caused an epidemic around the world.

2. Bacterial conjunctivitis

The ocular surface of a normal person is colonized with certain bacteria, but when encountering highly virulent bacteria or conditional pathogens, it will cause bacterial conjunctivitis. Bacterial conjunctivitis in children mainly includes acute catarrhal conjunctivitis and chronic catarrhal conjunctivitis, while gonococcal conjunctivitis mainly occurs in newborns. Acute catarrhal conjunctivitis is mainly caused by highly virulent bacteria. It has an acute onset and often affects both eyes. It can occur one after the other. The main eye symptoms are foreign body sensation in the eyes, tearing, and sticky or purulent secretions. This disease is transmitted through contact, with secretions being the direct source of infection. It is easily transmitted in school or at home, so parents must pay attention to the eye hygiene of their children. Chronic catarrhal conjunctivitis has a long course and is prone to recurrence. Its symptoms and signs are milder than those of acute catarrhal conjunctivitis. However, if children have repeated mild red eyes, increased secretions, and foreign body sensation, the cause should be carefully investigated to determine whether it is dacryocystitis, blepharitis, rhinitis, or other diseases.

3. Chlamydial conjunctivitis

It is an inflammation caused by infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, commonly known as "trachoma", which was once the leading cause of blindness in my country. However, with the improvement of living standards, improvement of environmental sanitation and progress in science and technology, "trachoma" has almost disappeared in most large and medium-sized cities. However, trachoma is still prevalent in some countries and regions with relatively backward economy and culture and poor sanitary conditions. Trachoma is mainly transmitted through contact, and the prevalence of trachoma in children is closely related to the prevalence of trachoma in their parents. It often develops acutely or subacutely, with symptoms such as red eyes, foreign body sensation, and sticky secretions. Ophthalmological examination shows lesions in the fornix conjunctiva and corneal pannus formation. If not treated in time, some serious complications will occur in the late stage, causing damage to multiple eye tissues.