Conjunctivitis
What is conjunctivitis?
Conjunctivitis is the medical term for an inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye. It is the most common cause of red eyes. The white of the eye is covered by a thin membrane (the conjunctiva) that contains many thin blood vessels. When the eye gets irritated, these vessels expand, turning the eye red.
The most common cause is a virus or a bacterial infection. An allergy, dry eye syndrome or irritants in the environment can also cause red eyes. Conjunctivitis can also result from mechanical irritation such as rubbing of the eyes, poking the eye, dirt entering the eye or irritating eyelashes.
What are the complaints associated with conjunctivitis?
- Bacterial conjunctivitis produces pus in the eyes.
- Viruses are generally the cause of the familiar 'red eye' with mucus formation and a watery discharge, often accompanied by a sore throat and runny nose, as in a cold or flu (these symptoms last 1 to 2 weeks).
- Allergic conjunctivitis often causes itching and watery discharge, and moderate to severe redness.
- The dry eye syndrome results in painful, red mucosa, sometimes with hypersensitivity to light and severe watery eyes due to the irritation.
- Irritants mainly cause excessive, watery, discharge, possibly followed by red eyes.
How common is conjunctivitis in the general population?
Conjunctivitis caused by a bacterial infection or virus is seen in just under 1.8% of the general population annually. The prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis is 0.6%.
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How common is conjunctivitis in people with intellectual disabilities?
No statistics have been found about conjunctivitis in people with intellectual disabilities.
An Italian study found conjunctivitis in 4% of a group with Down syndrome.
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This increased prevalence is associated with, among other things, floppy eyelids and problems with tear drainage.
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Floppy eyelids may be caused by age but also by frequent rubbing of the eyes and, for example, by keratoconus (a corneal deformity that is more frequent in certain syndromes).
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A British study found excessive watering and irritation of the eyes in 35% of people with Down syndrome as a result of the narrowing of the tear duct.
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475Boulton JE, Sullivan TJ. Floppy eyelid syndrome and mental retardation. Ophthalmology. 2000 Nov;107(11):1989-91
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115Stephen E, Dickson J, Kindley AD, Scott CC, Charleton PM. Surveillance of vision and ocular disorders in children with Down syndrome. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007 Jul;49(7): 315-5
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