Conjunctivitis is an
inflammation of the
conjunctiva, the transparent mucous membrane lining the inside of the eyelids and the
white of the eyeball.
Normally the white, or sclera, is clearly visible through the conjunctiva, but when the conjunctiva is inflamed, its normally invisible blood vessels become engorged, making the
eye appear red.
Conjunctivitis may be
caused by many types of infectious agents, as well as by toxic, chemical, and allergenic irritants. The inflammation is generally associated with a scratchy, sometimes itching sensation and an exudate of mucus or pus. A particularly devastating form of conjunctivitis, which may result in blindness, is caused by gonorrhea; therefore, silver nitrate or penicillin eye drops are routinely administered to newborn infants to treat possible gonorrheal infection of the eye.
More abstracts about the CONJUNTIVITIS