Eye infections are caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. They can affect any part of the eye, including the eyelid. The infection can affect one eye at a time or both. It’s important to see your healthcare provider if you suspect you may have an eye infection
Types of conjunctivitis
Another name for conjunctivitis is pink eye. It is an eye infection that affects the inside of the eyelid and the outer layer of the eye. Conjunctivitis is highly contagious and can easily spread from person to person
Symptoms
If you have conjunctivitis, your eyes may be:
- Pink or red
- Itching or burning
- Water
- Puffy
- Crispy
- Upset
- Blurry
- Leakage of yellow, green or white discharge (liquid)
- Sensitive to bright lights
Causes
The cause of conjunctivitis may be:
- bacteria
- Viruses
- Allergies
- Eye irritants
Diagnosis
Your health care provider will perform an eye exam and ask about your symptoms. You may also need a lab test such as eye culture to determine if bacteria or viruses are responsible for the infection. Your practitioner can scan your eye to collect a sample to test eye culture and send it to a lab.
Treatment
Conjunctivitis usually goes away on its own within seven to 10 days. However, you may need an antibiotic ointment or eye drops for a bacterial infection
Your treatment options include:
- Cold compresses
- Eye drops
- ointment
- Artificial tears
- Antibiotics
- Antivirals
- Keratitis
Keratitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the cornea of the eye. The cornea is a dome located above the colored part of your eye that refracts light. If you don’t get treatment, there is a risk of permanent scarring and vision loss
Symptoms
If you have keratitis, your eyes may be:
- red
- painful
- Blurry
- angry or feel like there’s something inside her
- Photosensitive
- Water or leaky drainage
Causes
The cause of keratitis may be:
- bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungus
- Parasites or amoebas
If you wear contact lenses, you may be more likely to develop keratitis, especially if you sleep, bathe, swim, don’t clean the lenses properly, or wear them after the date they were changed. Proper care of your lenses and supplies is important, so you should follow the instructions of your healthcare provider.
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will perform an eye exam and ask about your symptoms. You may need additional laboratory tests to determine the cause of keratitis.
Treatment
Your treatment options include:
- Eye drops
- Ointments
- Antibiotics
- Antivirals
- Antifungals
Endophthalmitis
Endophthalmitis is an infection that causes inflammation or swelling within the tissues and fluids of the eyeball. This is a serious condition that can be an emergency due to the risk of permanent vision loss
Symptoms
If you have endophthalitis, your eyes may be:
- red
- Painful or leaky discharge
- Swelling or swelling (especially the eyelids)
- Blurry or difficulty seeing
- Photosensitive
Causes
The cause of endophthalmitis may be:
- bacteria
- Fungus
- Complications of eye surgery or injections
- Injury or trauma to the eye
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will perform an eye exam and check for symptoms. You’ll have your eyesight checked and may need an ultrasound scan. Your doctor may also make a water or glass tap, which uses a small needle to take fluid from the eye for testing.
Treatment
Your treatment options include:
Antibiotic injections into the eye
- Antifungal injections into the eye
- Dope
- surgery
- City
A bite is a bump on the eyelid caused by an infection. It usually appears at the base of your eyelashes or under your eyelids
Symptoms
Symptoms of a boil include:
- Swollen bump or bump on the eyelid
- blushing
- Pain
- Sensitivity to light
- Irritation or feeling like something is inside the eye
- Watery eye
- Tenderness in the eyelid
Causes
When an oil gland (meibomian gland) is blocked in the eyelid, a worm can form. Infection in your eye hair follicles can also cause a scar. Bacteria are another common cause of eyelid boils.
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will perform an eye exam and check for symptoms.
Treatment
Usually, the patch disappears on its own within seven days. Talk to your healthcare provider if your condition is getting worse or not going away
Your treatment options include:
- Apply warm pressure to the eye
- Antibiotic ointment
- Drying the patch at the healthcare provider’s office
- Tips for treating boils
- Cindy Chung / Ferrewell
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is a condition that irritates the eyelids and causes crusts to form on the eyelashes. Usually it is not contagious and does not hurt the eyes
Symptoms
If you have blepharitis, your eyes and eyelids may be:
- red
- Burn or sting
- Crispy
- Upset
- itch
- Water
- Photosensitive
- Puffy
- dry
Causes
If the sebaceous glands in the eyelids are clogged, this can lead to blepharitis. Bacteria on the eyelids and near the base of the eyelashes can also cause this condition.
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will perform an eye exam and check for symptoms.
Treatment
Your treatment options include:
- Apply warm pressure to the eye
- Eye and eyelid cleaning
- Antibiotics
- Steroid eye drops
- Cellular tissue
Cellulitis is a type of infection that can affect the eyes, eyelids, and skin around the eyes. There are two types of intraocular cellulitis: pre-septal cellulitis and more serious orbital cellulitis. Cellulitis can spread, so it’s important to seek urgent medical care
Cellular tissue
Symptoms
Symptoms of cellulitis include:
- Swollen eye or eyelid
- Problems moving the eye
- Eye swelling
- Vision changes or blurry
- blushing
- trouble
- fever
Causes
The cause of cellulitis may be:
- bacteria
- Fungus
- Insect bites
- Facial wounds
- Sinus infections
- Neck or head surgery
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will perform an eye exam and check for symptoms. You will also have to discuss your recent medical history and have laboratory tests, such as a blood test.
Treatment
Your treatment options include:
- Antibiotics
- Drainage of fluid from infection in the healthcare provider’s clinic
- surgery
- Uveitis
- Uveitis is a condition that affects the middle layer of the eye. It is an inflammatory disease that can damage eye tissue
Symptoms
Symptoms of uveitis include:
- Red eyes
- Blurry vision
- Pain
- Buoys (seeing things floating in your vision)
- Sensitivity to light
- Vision loss
Causes
Autoimmune conditions that can cause uveitis include:
- Spondylitis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Behcet’s disease
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Ulcerative colitis
- Vogt Koyanagi Harada disease
Infectious diseases that can cause uveitis include:
- AIDS
- Herpes zoster infection
- Cytomegalotropic retinitis (CMV)
- Syphilis
- Histoplasmosis
- Tuberculosis
- Kawasaki disease
- toxoplasmosis
Toxins and injuries may also cause uveitis.
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will perform an eye exam and check for symptoms. After that, you may need blood tests, laboratory tests, and central nervous system tests. You may also need a brain scan or MRI.
Treatment
Your treatment options include:
- Eye drops
- Injection
- Pills
- Dope
- Antibiotics
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
- Immunosuppressive drugs
- Wear dark glasses
- surgery
- When to see a healthcare provider
You may need to see a health care provider, if you have:
- Severe pain in your eyes
- Vision changes
- Very red eyes do not improve
- Too much discharge from your eyes
- Blurry or photosensitive vision
- Symptoms that don’t go away after a few days
- weak immune system;
- When to seek emergency care
If you have the following symptoms, you should seek emergency care:
- Bleeding from your eyes or eyelids
- Sudden vision loss or blindness
- Pupil sizes vary and no longer match each other
- Problems opening, closing or moving the eyes
- Puffy eyes
- Eye injuries or trauma
Prevention
There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of eye infection. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about staying healthy
To prevent eye infection, you can:
- Wash your hands often
- Avoid touching your eyes
- Avoid sharing things like makeup, pillowcases or towels with others
Avoid approaching someone with an eye infection - Wash all objects used by someone with an eye infection
- Clean glasses and contact lenses regularly
- Use goggles and safety glasses when necessary
- Do not let the eyedrop bottle touch your eyes when used to avoid contamination