Eye infection - Causes, symptoms and Remedies

Eye infections occur when harmful microorganisms like fungi, bacteria and virus get in contact with our eyeball or surrounding area. Some of the common eye infections are conjunctivitis, Stye, Blepharitis, cellulitis and Keratitis. Corneal ulcer, Trachoma and Endophthalmitis are some other common type of eye diseases.

What are the major symptoms of an eye infection? In most people eye allergies and dry eyes are the most common symptoms of eye infections. These symptoms can lead to redness in eyes, pain, watering, white discharges and sensitivity towards light. When allergies can affect both eyes, eye infections generally affect only one eye. Let’s discuss about some of the common eye infections and its causes.

Pink eye or conjunctivitis is one of the generally found eye infection. The person infected with this eye disease will have a blurred vision, pain, gritty and itchy feeling and increased tearing. His eyes will turn to reddish in color and a thin crust will form on his eyelid. This is a spreading disease and this often spreads among people in classrooms and similar environments. The disease is commonly caused by viruses. But certain bacteria also spread this disease.

Treatment for this disease depends on its cause. Allergic conjunctivitis will disappear on its own, when the allergen that caused the infection is removed. Meanwhile, viral and bacterial conjunctivitis should be treated under the guidance of a doctor. Most of the doctors prescribe antibiotic medicines, usually eye drops for this infection.

Another type of eye infection is Viral Keratitis. This is caused by the virus called herpes simplex virus. This virus infects the cornea. As herpes is a common family of virus, most people carry some sort of this virus in their life. Researchers found that this virus will not leave the human body after the initial infection. They will remain inside the body in a dormant stage within the nerves. In the U.S alone, some 500, 000 people are infected with this virus. In a year, nearly 20,000 people are getting infected with this virus for the first time and about 25,000 are frequently been infected with this.

A stye is another eye infection and it resembles a pimple. The stye forms when an oil gland at the edge of an eyelid gets infected. A Stye can grow on the outer side or inner side of an eye lid. Some of the primary symptoms of Stye are pain and swelling in the infected area. Sometimes a part of the eyelid becomes swollen, other times the entire eyelid swells. How stye infect us? Staphylococcal bacteria are the main cause for Stye. This bacterium commonly found on the nose will be transferred to the eye when you rub your nose before you rub your eye.

In most people, Styes don’t cause vision problem. This infection will heal by its own within few days. One of the best ways to suppress Stye is to apply hot compress for 10 to 15 minutes, in a day.

The inflammation of the eyelash follicle is called the Blepharitis. Some of the symptoms of this infection are crusty and reddened eyelids. By having itching and burning feeling, the eyelids will become swollen. People having this infection will feel like they have sand or dust in their eyes when they blink. Bacteria are the main cause for Blepharitis. People with high oil secreting glands near their eyelids are more prone to this infection. Cleaning eye lids in a daily manner is one of the preventive methods. One of the ways to gather more information about eye infections is by searching on websites. The information shared with you is collected from my home computer linked to providers like Time Warner Internet. Whenever you have some eye infection, it is better to consult with a doctor, rather than diagnose by yourself.

Annphilip - About Author:
As a freelancer, Ann enjoys writing about human beings and their lifestyle. She also writes about various types of diseases and remedies for that. To clarify her doubts regarding some diseases, she surfs on the home computer powered by Time Warner Internet.

Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/health-articles/eye-infection-causes-symptoms-and-remedies.htm

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