Chlamydial conjunctivitis in adults. Symptoms and effective treatment of chlamydia eye. Effective Therapies

Chlamydia eye or chlamydial conjunctivitis is quite common. According to various sources, the proportion of this disease ranges from 3 to 30% of the total number of registered conjunctivitis. Among the patients, the majority are young people under the age of 30, and in women this disease is diagnosed three times more often than in men.

Description of the disease

Ophthalmochlamydia is a conjunctival lesion caused by chlamydial infection. This disease often occurs against the background of urogenital chlamydia, which can be asymptomatic.

Types of disease

The disease can occur in the following forms:

• Trachoma. This is an infectious disease that occurs in a chronic form. Often causes complications leading to complete blindness.

Advice! Today, trachoma is common only in countries with underdeveloped economies. In developed countries, cases of this disease occur sporadically, so even many doctors saw its manifestations exclusively in the photo.

• Paratrachoma or chlamydial conjunctivitis in adults.
• Chlamydia eye of newborns.
• Epidemic ophthalmochlamydia in children (rare);
• Conjunctivitis of chlamydial nature, which develops with Reiter's syndrome.
• Chlamydia of the eye, which develops when infected from animals.

Causes of the disease

Depending on the serotype of microorganisms, a certain type of disease develops. So:

• serotype A-C causes trachoma;
• serotype D-K causes paratrachoma or epidemic ophthalmic chlamydia.

In adults, chlamydial conjunctivitis in half of the cases develops against the background of a urogenital infection. In this case, self-infection occurs when the patient brings the pathogen onto the conjunctiva from the genitals with his hands or hygiene items. And in this way you can infect not only yourself, but also your sexual partner.

The first manifestations of the disease can be seen on the 4-15th day of life. The main symptoms are swelling of the eyelids and profuse, purulent discharge. Sometimes pus can come out with an admixture of blood. In 70% of babies, only one eye is affected. The disease, if left untreated, can give very serious complications: scarring of the conjunctiva, stenosis of the lacrimal ducts, etc.

Diagnosis of the disease

When conducting an examination for chlamydia eyes, it is necessary:

• examination by an ophthalmologist;
• analysis;
• consultation of other specialists (gynecologist, venereologist, otolaryngologist).

In the process of conducting an ophthalmological examination, an examination using a slit lamp is used, ophthalmoscopy is performed. However, the leading role in the diagnosis is given to laboratory tests to identify the pathogen.

Treatment Methods

It is very important to immediately correctly diagnose chlamydia eyes. The fact is that chlamydia is insensitive to a number of antibiotics that are used to treat conjunctivitis of a bacterial nature.

If the treatment is carried out incorrectly, then the disease will become chronic and it will become much more difficult to get rid of it. When conducting tests, an examination is prescribed to identify the sensitivity of the pathogen to various types of antibiotics.

The fact is, if conjunctivitis has already been treated using any means, but has not been completed, then the pathogen acquires resistance to the antibacterial agents used and further treatment with their use will be ineffective.

Most often, the treatment of chlamydia of the eyes is carried out with the help of tetracycline antibiotics. Fluoroquinolones or macolides may be used. It is necessary to prescribe treatment, select drugs and determine doses individually, taking into account the characteristics of the course of the disease and other factors.

Therefore, with this type of conjunctivitis, it is categorically not recommended to independently prescribe drugs or use folk remedies, treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

As a rule, drops and ointments with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as vitamins and antihistamines, are prescribed. Treatment will take quite a long time, on average, the course of antibiotic therapy lasts at least three weeks. After treatment, it is necessary to conduct control tests.

Advice! To make sure that there is no infection, it is desirable to carry out control analyzes using at least two methods.

A fairly common disease is chlamydial conjunctivitis. As you can see in the photo, the disease manifests itself with severe edema, redness of the mucous membrane, and the appearance of a small amount of discharge. If left untreated, the disease can become chronic and lead to complications.

- an infectious lesion of the mucous membrane of the eyes with chlamydia, accompanied by acute or chronic inflammation of the conjunctiva. Chlamydial conjunctivitis occurs with swelling of the conjunctiva and transitional folds, purulent discharge from the eyes, lacrimation, pain in the eyes, follicular rashes on the lower eyelid, parotid adenopathy, eustachitis phenomena. Diagnosis of chlamydial conjunctivitis consists in carrying out biomicroscopy, cytological, cultural, enzyme immunoassay, immunofluorescence, PCR studies to determine chlamydia. Chlamydial conjunctivitis is treated with tetracycline antibiotics, macrolides and fluoroquinolones until complete clinical and laboratory recovery.

General information

Chlamydial conjunctivitis (ophthalmochlamydia, chlamydia eyes) is 3-30% of the number of conjunctivitis of various etiologies. Eye chlamydia is more common in people aged 20-30 years, while women get chlamydial conjunctivitis 2-3 times more often than men. Chlamydial conjunctivitis occurs mainly against the background of urogenital chlamydia (urethritis, colpitis, cervicitis), which can proceed in an erased form and not disturb the patient. Therefore, chlamydial infections are included in the scope of attention of ophthalmology, venereology, urology, gynecology.

Causes of chlamydial conjunctivitis

Different antigenic serotypes of chlamydia cause different lesions: for example, serotypes A, B, Ba and C lead to the development of trachoma; serotypes D - K - to the occurrence of adult paratrachoma, epidemic chlamydial conjunctivitis, urogenital chlamydia; serotypes L1-L3 - to the development of inguinal lymphogranulomatosis.

In most cases, chlamydial conjunctivitis occurs against the background of chlamydia of the genitourinary tract: according to statistics, about 50% of patients with ophthalmic chlamydia also have a urogenital form of infection. In adults, ocular chlamydia develops as a result of the introduction of the pathogen into the conjunctival sac from the genitals through hygiene items and hands contaminated with secretions. At the same time, a carrier of urogenital chlamydia can infect not only his organ of vision, but also the eyes of his healthy partner. Often, chlamydial conjunctivitis is a consequence of oral-genital sexual contact with an infected partner.

There are known cases of occupational infection with chlamydial conjunctivitis among obstetrician-gynecologists, venereologists, urologists-andrologists, ophthalmologists who examine patients with various forms of chlamydia. Infection with chlamydial conjunctivitis is possible through water when visiting public pools and baths. This form of the disease is called "pool" or "bath" conjunctivitis and can often take on the character of epidemic outbreaks.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis may accompany the course of an autoimmune disease - Reiter's syndrome, however, the pathogenesis of ophthalmic chlamydia in this pathology has not been fully studied.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis in newborns can develop as a result of intrauterine (transplacental) infection or infection of the eyes during childbirth from a mother with chlamydia. Chlamydial eye infection occurs in 5-10% of newborns.

Thus, sexually active men and women have an increased risk of developing chlamydial conjunctivitis; patients with chlamydia of the urogenital tract; family members (including children) where there are patients with sexual or ocular chlamydia; medical specialists; persons visiting public baths, saunas, swimming pools; children born to mothers with chlamydia.

Classification of forms of chlamydial conjunctivitis

Symptoms of chlamydial conjunctivitis

Clinical manifestations of chlamydial conjunctivitis develop after the incubation period (5-14 days). As a rule, one eye is first affected, bilateral infection occurs in 30% of patients. In 65% of cases, chlamydial conjunctivitis occurs in the form of an acute or subacute eye infection, in other cases - in a chronic form.

In a chronic course, sluggish, often recurrent blepharitis or conjunctivitis with moderately severe symptoms are noted: slight swelling of the eyelids and hyperemia of the conjunctival tissue, mucous discharge from the eyes.

Acute chlamydial conjunctivitis and exacerbation of chronic forms are accompanied by severe swelling and infiltration of the mucous membrane of the eyes and transitional folds, photophobia and lacrimation, pain in the eyes, and an abundant separation of mucopurulent or purulent secretions from the eyes that stick together the eyelids. Pathognomonic is the development on the side of the lesion of painless regional anterior adenopathy, as well as eustachitis, characterized by pain and noise in the ear, hearing loss.

A visual examination of the eyes on the conjunctiva reveals multiple follicles, delicate fibrinous films, which, as a rule, resolve without scarring. The acute phase of chlamydial conjunctivitis lasts from 2 weeks to 3 months.

In newborns and young children, in addition to pronounced eye symptoms, chlamydial pneumonia, nasopharyngitis, rhinitis, acute otitis media, and eustachitis often develop. Often complications in the form of stenosis of the lacrimal-nasal tract, scarring of the conjunctiva.

Eye damage in Reiter's syndrome can occur in the form of chlamydial conjunctivitis, keratitis, iridocyclitis, choroiditis, retinitis.

Diagnosis of chlamydial conjunctivitis

Diagnostic tactics for suspected chlamydial conjunctivitis involves an ophthalmological examination, laboratory tests, consultations of related specialists (venereologist, gynecologist, urologist, rheumatologist, otolaryngologist).

The leading role in confirming the diagnosis of chlamydial conjunctivitis belongs to laboratory tests. Optimal is a combination of various methods for isolating chlamydia in scrapings from the conjunctiva (cytological, immunofluorescent, cultural, PCR) and antibodies in the blood (ELISA). If necessary, patients are prescribed an examination for urogenital chlamydia.

Eye chlamydia must be differentiated from bacterial and adenoviral conjunctivitis.

Treatment of chlamydial conjunctivitis

Etiotropic drugs for chlamydial conjunctivitis are antibiotics: fluoroquinolones, macrolides, tetracyclines. Local therapy includes instillations of antibacterial eye drops (ofloxacin solution, ciprofloxacin solution), ointment applications for the eyelids (tetracycline ointment, erythromycin ointment), the use of anti-inflammatory drops (indomethacin solution, dexamethasone solution).

Systemic treatment of chlamydia is carried out according to the STI therapy regimen. The criteria for the cure of chlamydial conjunctivitis are: regression of clinical symptoms, negative data of laboratory tests conducted 2-4 weeks after the end of the course of treatment and three subsequent analyzes taken at intervals of one month.

Forecast and prevention of chlamydial conjunctivitis

The consequences of the transferred chlamydial conjunctivitis can be different. With rational therapy, the disease, as a rule, ends in complete recovery. Quite often, chlamydial conjunctivitis acquires a relapsing course.

The outcome of recurrent forms of ophthalmochlamydia may be scarring of the conjunctiva and cornea of ​​the eyes, leading to decreased vision.

Prevention of chlamydial conjunctivitis requires timely detection and treatment of urogenital chlamydia in adults (including pregnant women), the use of individual hygiene items in the family, eye protection with goggles when swimming in the pool, and the use of protective equipment by medical personnel.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis is an infectious disease of the mucous membrane of the eyes, which occurs as a result of its defeat by chlamydia. It is characterized by the formation of a chronic or acute inflammatory process on the conjunctiva of the eyeballs.

Features of the disease

Conjunctivitis with chlamydia is a fairly common and frequently occurring pathological process that affects the mucous membrane of the eye. In addition, this disease is contagious and can be quickly transmitted to another person.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis (or ophthalmochlamydia) mainly affects young people in their 20s and 30s. Women at the same time are exposed to the disease much more often than the representatives of the stronger sex.

This kind of pathology can develop in a person against the background of the presence in his body of such diseases as:

• urogenital chlamydia;
• colpitis;
• urethritis;
• cervicitis.

They may be in an erased form and not show any pronounced pathological processes. Symptoms and treatment of ophthalmic chlamydia completely depend on the form and stage of the disease.

Reasons for the development of the disease

Reversion, that is, the awakening of chlamydia, occurs due to the occurrence of favorable conditions for their reproduction, such as:

• intake by an infected person of various broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs;
• prolonged stay in a cold room, which, in turn, causes hypothermia of the body;
• due to the course of any acute respiratory viral infectious diseases (ARVI).

Scientists have found that chlamydia can have many serotypes.

Serotypes C, A and B provoke the occurrence of a disease such as trachoma - a chronic lesion of the conjunctiva and cornea of ​​​​the eyes with chlamydial infection.

The incubation period of ophthalmic chlamydia can last from one to two weeks, after which the infected person begins to show characteristic signs of the development of the pathological process.

If a person is diagnosed with chlamydial conjunctivitis, symptoms appear as acute inflammation of one affected eye, which over time can affect the mucous membrane of the other.

More than half of the patients have an acute pathological inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes. This disease can develop in a chronic form.

The characteristic manifestations of the acute form of the pathological process are:

• the occurrence of severe swelling of the eyelids, which provokes a rather serious narrowing of the eye gap;
• there is a pronounced reddening of the conjunctiva of the eyeballs;
• a slight separation of mucus from the eyes, which may be purulent;
• in some cases, inflammatory processes may occur that affect the patient's auditory nerve, which is manifested by painful sensations in the ears, noise and hearing loss;
• damage to the human lymphatic system, which is often accompanied by an increase in the size of the anterior lymph node;
• the appearance of a strong sensitivity of the eyes to bright light, that is, photophobia;
• the formation of follicular neoplasms on the mucous membrane of the lower eyelid, which look like small white vesicles. After a certain period of time, such neoplasms completely disappear, leaving no traces of damage to the mucous membrane of the eye.

Chronic forms of the disease

In the event that the treatment of chlamydial conjunctivitis for any reason was not timely performed, a chronic form of the disease begins to develop in a sick person. It has a sluggish character and is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• the appearance of mild swelling of the eyelids;
• the formation of a small amount of mucous discharge from the eyes;
• thickening of the tissue of the mucous membrane of the eye affected by the inflammatory process.

If chlamydial lesions of the mucous membrane of the eyes occurred in young children or newborns, then in addition to well-expressed symptoms, the occurrence of concomitant diseases can often be observed, for example:

• nasopharyngitis;
• eustachitis;
• acute otitis;
• rhinitis;
• chlamydial pneumonia.

In addition, the occurrence of this ophthalmic disease in young children may be accompanied by the development of some complications caused by the progression of the pathological process. Such complications are stenosis of the upper respiratory tract and scarring of the mucous membrane of the eyes.

The duration of the development of an acute form of ophthalmic chlamydia can be from several weeks to several months.

Diagnostics

In order to establish the presence of chlamydial conjunctivitis in a person, the patient needs to be examined by an ophthalmologist, who, during a visual examination, will have to perform a series of laboratory tests.

In this case, the ophthalmologist can appoint the patient an additional visit to such doctors as a gynecologist, urologist, otolaryngologist, rheumatologist and venereologist.

Such an analysis is carried out in combination with other studies, which consist of an enzyme immunoassay and, if necessary, a study for the presence of urogenital chlamydia.

Treatment of the disease

Only a specialized specialist should treat ophthalmochlamydia. Self-medication will not give positive results, but will only aggravate the course of the pathological process.

In the case of the development of chlamydial conjunctivitis, treatment involves the use of various antibacterial agents of the tetracycline series.

The selection of the daily dosage of such medicines should be carried out only by a doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient's body and the stage of the inflammatory process.

These antibacterial drugs include all kinds of ointments and drops that have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects.

• Vibramycin;
• doxycycline;
• Tetracycline;
• Monoclin.

As an additional treatment for conjunctivitis, prescribe:

• Dexados or Maxidex;
• Allergophtal (anti-allergic drops);
• Erius, Ebastine, Citrine (antihistamines);
• Histatin and Levorini (drugs against fungal infections).

Without timely treatment of eye chlamydia, it can cause the development of one of the most dangerous complications - scarring of the mucous membrane and its cornea, which often leads to a significant decrease in visual acuity.

Video

Chlamydial conjunctivitis develops as a result of chlamydia entering the mucous membrane of the eye. For example, bacteria can enter the conjunctival sac through personal items or hands contaminated with body fluids.

In this case, the carrier of the pathogen can transmit it both with its mucous membranes, but also with the mucous membranes of a partner or a child. Mucosal chlamydia is almost any lesion of the mucous membrane of the visual organ.

According to medical research, this type of disease accounts for more than a third of all cases of mucosal inflammation.

Prerequisites for development

Chlamydial conjunctivitis can affect both adult women and men and children. It manifests itself in the following ways:

• paratrachoma;
• trachoma;
• pool conjunctivitis;
• chlamydial episcleritis;
• chlamydial uveitis;
• chlamydial meybolitis;
• conjunctivitis in Reiter's syndrome.

Most often, these problems become just part of the whole complex with the development of chlamydial infection in newborns or already adult patients.

The main disease with problems caused by chlamydia is urogenital chlamydia, which develops in the organs of the genitourinary system.

Most often, chlamydia is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. In the case of direct infection of the visual organ, it can be assumed that vaginal fluid or infected semen has entered the mucosa.

We note separately that chlamydia often occurs with virtually no symptoms, and conjunctivitis can be an indicator that this infection begins to develop in the body.

Although other symptoms may not be at all, both in children and in adult patients.

This is one of the most insidious dangers of infection, which greatly complicates the process of diagnosing and accurately detecting the disease in the early stages and without laboratory tests.

Conjunctival lesions of the eyes of newborns and children may develop as a result of accidental transmission of infection to the eyes. If there is no treatment, the disease will become chronic.

• Obstetrics and Gynecology,
• Venereology, doctors here are constantly in contact with contaminated biological materials,
• Urology.

You can get infected with chlamydial conjunctivitis even in public places - such as a bathhouse or sauna, swimming pool. despite the fact that the bacterium is practically not adapted to life outside the cell, it can get into the mucous membrane of the eyes with liquid and begin to develop there.

This happens when there is not enough chlorine in the water to be safe.

In some cases, chlamydia can be transmitted from newborns, but such moments are extremely rare.

With congenital chlamydia, the disease is accompanied by serious lesions of other systems and internal organs (photo).

The most unpredictable form of chlamydia in a newborn baby is a chlamydial infection of the respiratory system.

If the pathogen spreads through the sinuses, then children and newborns may experience:

• rhinitis;
• eustachitis;
• severe damage to the respiratory system;
• acute otitis;
• nasopharyngitis.

The pathogenesis of chlamydial conjunctivitis

Infection of the eyes during the development of chlamydia is often defined as simple blepharitis. Such a conclusion is quite logical, because chlamydia can practically not manifest itself.

In some cases, frequent relapses help to suspect chlamydia, but the pathogenesis of the disease is quite interesting.

The manifestation of the ophthalmic type of chlamydial infection can be directly related to several factors at once:

• the duration of the disease;
• localization of chlamydia in the patient's body;
• individual characteristics of the organism and its response to the penetration of a foreign microorganism.

The eye in adults and newborns can leak from 2 to 7 days.

There are cases when this period can be extended up to a month.

In the initial stage, one eye is affected first, then the infection, not without the help of the patient himself, enters the mucous membrane of the second eye.

It notes:

1. obvious redness of the mucous membranes of the eye;
2. lacrimation, eyelids begin to stick together in the morning;
3. patients report the appearance of photophobia.
4. Almost every patient from 3-5 days will suffer:
5. preauricular adenopathy on the affected side (diseases of the lymph nodes located in front of the ear);
6. eustachitis (inflammation of the auditory tube).

Chlamydial conjunctivitis can be acute or chronic.

The pathogenesis of the acute form will be accompanied by severe swelling of the eyes with abundant mucopurulent exudate, conjunctival edema, and corneal damage.

In almost 50% of all cases of infection, enlargement of the follicles in the lower eyelid can be noted.

And in a third of patients, the conjunctiva of the upper eyelid and the compaction of all tissues of the conjunctiva increase (both in adults and in newborns).

If chlamydia of the eyes (photo) becomes chronic, then in this case it will be noted:

• slight swelling of the eyelids;
• compaction of the conjunctival tissue;
• light discharge from the eyes.

The result of a previous chlamydial lesion of the visual organ in children and newborns can be ambiguous. Symptoms of scarring of the cornea and conjunctiva, as well as relapses, may not always be manifested, which suggests that the disease can also be asymptomatic.

Who is at risk

The range of potential patients is quite extensive. So, you can get infected:

• sexually active men and women of almost any age (who suffer from recurrent or chronic conjunctivitis);
• patients with urogenital chlamydia;
• their sexual partners and family members;
• patients with conjunctivitis in the acute stage;
• patients with recurrent conjunctivitis;
• newborn babies from mothers with chlamydia.

Only after confirming the diagnosis of chlamydial conjunctivitis (acute or chronic), the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment.

How to identify the disease

The most vulnerable place for chlamydia of a non-urogenital type is the eyes.

Diagnosis of chlamydial conjunctivitis can be based on a simple examination of the mucous membranes and using laboratory methods of analysis.

In general, the first method does not provide 100% accuracy and information content.

To date, the following research methods are considered to be the most informative:

• detection of chlamydia due to scraping. Cytological, enzyme immunoassay, immunofluorescent methods, polymerase chain reaction can be applied;
• isolation of infections in cell culture. The cultural method for detecting chlamydia of the eyes in modern medical practice is considered a reference;
• blood test in children and newborns.

For analysis, biological material is taken from the inner surface of the eyelids, naturally, after anesthesia.

Treatment of chlamydial conjunctivitis

The biggest mistake is to treat chlamydial eye lesions in newborns and adults with local antibiotics.

Such an approach, based only on a visual examination of inflammation (without finding out the reasons), will not give absolutely no results. Chlamydia has practically no sensitivity to the antibiotics used (for example, it can be drops).

Chlamydial conjunctivitis is an extremely dangerous disease that does not tolerate unauthorized treatment and ignoring symptoms!

If the treatment is not targeted, then the disease becomes a chronic type of infection of the visual organ, and is characterized by further active spread throughout the body.

It is for this reason that the timely delivery of all necessary tests, and the subsequent complex therapy of conjunctivitis, both in adult patients and in newborns, children, and adolescents, is extremely important.

For effective treatment, finding out the cause of the disease is not enough. It is necessary to find out the degree of its sensitivity to certain drugs.

If therapy had already been carried out earlier, then surviving chlamydia could well develop resistance to it.

In this case, the treatment will be of little effect, the chronic illness and characteristic symptoms will continue to torment the patient.

The dosage of drugs for internal administration (treatment of the disease) should be determined taking into account the severity of the disease. The doctor may prescribe:

• eye drops;
• antihistamines.

Drops should be selected on an individual basis and focusing on the likely associated health problems that are asymptomatic.

Treatment of chlamydial conjunctivitis takes up to 3 weeks. At this time, the symptoms of the disease pass, and the infection dies.

As soon as the treatment is completed, it is necessary to carry out control laboratory tests.

It is highly desirable that cross methods be used.

Chlamydia are pathogenic microorganisms that enter the human body in various ways. The most common form of chlamydial infection is urogenital chlamydia, a sexually transmitted sexually transmitted disease that affects the organs of the genitourinary system. However, some strains of the pathogen cause damage to other organs. In children, in particular, the infection almost always causes chlamydia in the eye. Chlamydial lesions of the mucous membrane of the organs of vision can also occur in adults, but conjunctivitis of an infectious nature is much more often diagnosed in children of different ages.

Despite the fact that ocular chlamydia affects the organs of vision, the paratochomic chlamydia that cause it still belong to sexually transmitted infections and are found in the human genitourinary system. In the case of a weakened immune system, the likelihood of contracting chlamydial conjunctivitis is extremely high. According to medical statistics, about 30% of all cases of conjunctivitis in adults and children are caused by paratochomic chlamydia.

How is chlamydial conjunctivitis transmitted?

Usually, chlamydia enters the eyes through the contact-household route. If a person did not follow the rules of personal hygiene, chlamydia from urogenital secretions, as well as from infected people in public places (public toilets, baths, saunas, swimming pools) can get on their hands. Children become infected in utero or during childbirth. Passing through the birth canal, they come into contact with infected amniotic fluid, which affects the mucous membranes. According to statistics, about 50% of all children born to mothers suffering from acute or chronic chlamydia acquire ophthalmic chlamydia.

Another route of transmission is zoonotic (associated with infection through infected animals, birds, pets).

The carrier of the infection can accidentally transmit it to a healthy person even in the absence of sexual contact. Ordinary urogenital chlamydia is transmitted only during anal and vaginal sex, but chlamydia in the eyes can be detected after oral sex if the partner has been infected. It also happens that conjunctivitis becomes the main suspicious symptom, indicating a latent form of chlamydia in a patient.

Forms of chlamydial conjunctivitis

1. Paratrachoma and trachoma
2. Inflammation of the choroid of the eye (chlamydial uveitis)
3. Reiter's syndrome (complex of symptoms that combine conjunctivitis, urethritis and arthritis)
4. Episcleritis (inflammatory process in the connective tissue connecting the sclera and conjunctiva)
5. Meibolitis (inflammatory process of the meibolic glands, which usually begins after contact with infected animals)
6. The so-called "pool conjunctivitis", which begins after visiting the pool and getting contaminated water into the eyes
7. Blepharitis (inflammatory process of the edge of the eyelids)

Symptoms and course of ocular chlamydia

With the exception of childhood morbidity, usually chlamydial conjunctivitis is an additional and concomitant disease in the presence of usual urogenital chlamydia. Conjunctivitis in this case develops as a secondary organ lesion. More than 50% of all patients with urogenital chlamydia also suffer from infectious conjunctivitis.

In young children, eye damage also does not go away alone: ​​it is combined with chlamydial bronchitis or pneumonia, since the infection affects not only the eyes, but also the child's respiratory apparatus.

The symptomatology of the disease resembles the symptoms and signs of ordinary non-specific inflammatory processes in the eyes. Sometimes conjunctivitis is asymptomatic, but more often it has fairly recognizable manifestations.

The incubation period of the disease can be up to a month. Most often, the first signs of infection appear one to two weeks after the infection enters the eye. At first, the patient begins to feel unpleasant discomfort in one eye, and after a few days, discomfort occurs in the second eye. The mucous membrane of the eyes begins to redden, becomes sensitive, blinking causes pain and pain. Light sensitivity increases, tearing increases. Often the disease is accompanied by inflammation and an increase in the size of the lymph nodes located behind the ears. If you do not start treatment on time, the disease will provoke the development of eustachitis (inflammation of the auditory tube).

Symptoms of acute and chronic chlamydia eye

The acute form of ophthalmic chlamydia is characterized by more pronounced manifestations. The eyelids swell, tears are released from the eyes along with the purulent and mucous contents of the conjunctival sac. The conjunctiva swells, the eyes turn red, the cornea is affected. The tissues of the upper and lower eyelids are thickened, in the morning there is gluing of the eyelids. In the chronic form of chlamydia of the eyes, the symptoms become less noticeable. The chronic form of chlamydia of the eyes is quite rare, since modern drugs and techniques can quickly and effectively cure patients from conjunctivitis. The cause of the development of the chronic course of the disease may be the illiterate use of antibacterial and antiviral drugs.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease

Complex laboratory tests are used to diagnose chlamydial conjunctivitis. Scrapings are performed from the conjunctiva, which are subsequently studied in the laboratory for the presence of chlamydia. Blood tests are also taken from patients to determine the presence of antibodies to chlamydia. If conjunctivitis is found in a newborn child, his mother is necessarily examined for chlamydia.

For treatment, antibiotics are used in the form of ointments based on tetracycline, terramycin, dioxycycline, as well as erythromycin and sulfapyridazine. The correct combination of drugs will be determined by the doctor. It is necessary to follow the drawn up scheme in order to eliminate conjunctivitis forever.