One of the most common eye diseases that causes a surge in eye examinations during the summer months is conjunctivitis.

Our country is located in a tropical climate zone, characterized by hot, humid weather and heavy rainfall. There are up to six months of hot weather, with three peak months from June to September. During this time, illnesses related to weather allergies and other hot-weather diseases are particularly prevalent.

Allergic predispositions are further exacerbated by weather changes, leading to flare-ups of the condition.

In addition to specific clinical manifestations such as papillae on the conjunctiva, limbal infiltration, and scleral opacity, a thorough medical history will help the ophthalmologist confirm the diagnosis. Allergic predisposition is a very important characteristic when taking a medical history.

Over 80% of children will complain of a history of asthma in childhood or currently have it. Allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and food allergies are also considered allergic predispositions, creating fertile ground for conjunctivitis to develop.

There's no need for expensive laboratory tests; simply asking if the child is itchy, combined with a clinical examination, can provide an 85% accurate diagnosis. Patients with conjunctivitis suffer terribly from the itching; the more they rub, the more they like it, wanting to scratch their eyes out.

A severe form of the disease is perennial conjunctivitis. The seasonal spring-summer characteristic of the disease is gone. Patients experience itching year-round, which is, of course, most intense during the summer. High temperatures, a surge in ultraviolet radiation, and abundant sunshine can cause the previously stable condition to worsen.

The culprit behind conjunctivitis is adenovirus.

The culprit is an adenovirus.

Almost everyone has experienced conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, at least once in their life. Unfortunately, after contracting the disease, one does not acquire lifelong immunity like with measles or chickenpox. Therefore, some people will get it a second, third, or even more times...

The culprit is an adenovirus, with 6 subgroups from A to F and 47 different serotypes. Adenovirus-induced eye diseases manifest in a wide variety of ways, including: acute follicular conjunctivitis; epidemic keratoconjunctivitis; febrile laryngotracheitis-conjunctivitis; and chronic follicular keratoconjunctivitis.

This is a global, epidemic disease that typically occurs during the hot season. It spreads easily because the virus is alcohol-resistant and can survive on household surfaces and even medical equipment for up to 35 days. Common symptoms include mild fever, cough, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes.

Next come the severe and very uncomfortable eye symptoms: redness, discharge, and a gritty, burning sensation. In the conjunctivitis-keratitis form, symptoms of keratitis will appear from the 7th to the 14th day: diffuse epithelial inflammation, punctate subepithelial inflammation, and subepithelial infiltrations.

Patients will experience blurred vision, tearing, and photophobia, which is distinctly different from other benign forms: without blurred vision or photophobia, and with a rapid and peaceful resolution. Another terrifying outcome for parents of young children is inflammation accompanied by pseudomembranes.

When pseudomembranes are present, treatment becomes more difficult, so children should have the pseudomembranes removed in the hospital. Usually, it takes about 10 days for the condition to improve and resolve. Laryngitis, in particular, is accompanied by more severe systemic symptoms: high fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and vomiting.

Fortunately, corneal complications are rare in this form. Conjunctivitis with extensive subconjunctival hemorrhage is caused by other viruses, namely Coxsackie A24 and enterovirus. Although highly contagious and frightening to patients, it resolves quickly and without complications.

Pool-borne conjunctivitis

Summer is the season for swimming and water sports. Swimming increases the chance of infection with a bacterium called chlamydia, which belongs to the same family as the bacteria that causes trachoma. This bacterium can spread from the genitals to the eyes or from eye to eye.

Doctors also call this condition pool conjunctivitis or inclusion conjunctivitis in adults. Symptoms include redness, a gritty feeling in the eyes, and a sensation of sand in the eyes.

Patients may experience difficulty seeing due to discharge and secretions in the eyes, but their vision does not decrease. In more severe cases, the eyelids may be swollen, red, and watery with pinkish discharge.

When experiencing these symptoms, patients should seek medical attention for timely diagnosis and treatment. If medical examination is not possible, eye washes such as 0.9% physiological saline solution or desomidine (available at pharmacies) can be used.

Doctor's advice

Pool conjunctivitis can be easily prevented by wearing swimming goggles. Although the number of swimmers increases significantly in the summer, the capacity of swimming pools remains limited. It's advisable to choose pools with good hygiene and regularly cleaned water.

After swimming, you should immediately use antiseptic eye drops such as saline solution or desomidine solution. And if you have conjunctivitis, you should stop swimming to avoid spreading the infection to others.

Conjunctivitis in the summer, regardless of the virus, doesn't change much in terms of how we deal with it. Hand and eye hygiene, and preventing the spread of infection, are paramount. Rinse your eyes with saline solution or artificial tears if someone around you has pink eye.

Antibiotics and steroids can be used, but only under the advice of an ophthalmologist. Don't forget that hospitals are a breeding ground for disease during outbreaks due to the very high frequency of contact between patients and healthy individuals.

Therefore, during the peak of the epidemic, it is advisable to avoid hospitals unless absolutely necessary, and to avoid crowded places such as supermarkets and elevators. Sterilization and hygiene practices in hospitals need to be given more attention during the hot season.

According to Alobacsi