Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about conjunctivitis. You can find written notes at zero to finals.com slash

conjunctiveitis or in the ophthalmology section of the second edition of the zero to finals medicine book

and you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge and help you remember the

information for longer at members.0 to finals.com so let's get straight into it

conjunctivitis refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva.

The conjunctiva is a thin layer of tissue that covers the inside of the eyelids and the sclera.

Conjunctivitis may be bacterial, viral or allergic.

It may be unilateral affecting one eye or bilateral affecting both eyes.

Let's start with the presentation.

Conjunctivitis presents with a red bloodshot eye, an itchy or gritty sensation in the eye, and eye discharge.

Conjunctivitis does not cause pain, photophobia, or discomfort with lights, or reduced visual

acuity. Discharge covering the eye may cause blurry vision, but this should

return to normal when the discharge is cleared away. Bacterial conjunctivitis presents with a

purulent discharge, meaning pus coming from the conjunctiva of the eye. It's typically worse in the morning when the eyes may be stuck together with the pus.

It usually starts in one eye and can spread to the other eye,

and bacterial conjunctivitis is highly contagious.

Viral conjunctivitis is common and usually presents with the clear discharge from the eye.

It's often associated with other symptoms of a viral infection, such as a dry cough, sore throat and a

block nose. There may be tender, pre-oricular lymph nodes in front of the ears.

Viral conjunctivitis is also contagious.

Let's go through the causes of an acute red eye

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