CAUSES OF CONJUNCTIVITIS

Depending on the cause, conjunctivitis can be of 3 types:

1. Infective: caused by a bacterial or viral infection
2. Allergic: caused by an allergic reaction to a substance such as pollen or dust mites
3. Irritant:  caused by eye coming into contact with things that can irritate the conjunctiva, such as shampoo or chlorinated water, or a loose eyelash rubbing against the eye

The symptoms of pinkeye differ based on the cause of the inflammation, but may include:

1. Redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid
2. Increased amount of tears
3. Thick yellow discharge that crusts over the eyelashes, especially after sleep
4. Green or white discharge from the eye
5. Itchy eyes & Burning eyes
6. Blurred vision
7. Increased sensitivity to light

In most cases it doesn’t pose a serious threat to health, complications are rare but when they do occur they can be serious and include:

1. A severe case of allergic conjunctivitis can lead to scarring in the eye
2. In cases of infective conjunctivitis, the infection can spread to other areas of the body, triggering more serious secondary infections, such as meningitis
3. It can complicate into:
   1. Ulcers in the cornea of eye
   2. Inflammation of the middle ear
   3. Pneumonia

1. Staying away from allergens, is one way of preventing allergic conjunctivitis
2. Washing the eyes, face and hands frequently during the day prevents infectious conjunctivitis
3. Staying away from crowded places and using personal towels and napkins and handkerchiefs prevents the disease from spreading to others
4. Maintaining hygiene

Homeopathy has great scope in the treatment of conjunctivitis both the infectious and the non-infectious varieties by improving the immunity. Homeopathy is found to be more effective in chronic and recurring conjunctivitis such as Phlyctenular, immunologically mediated, etc. Homeopathy has more than 50 preventive and curative medicines for conjunctivitis that work very well for persons of all ages. Every remedy is carefully prescribed on the basis of the patient’s history and the correct homeopathic medicine can even prevent spread of infection to the 2nd eye.