Conjunctivitis in Children: Causes, Treatment, and School Attendance

Conjunctivitis is a word that describes swelling of the conjunctiva — a thin lining inside the eyelid and on the white of the eye. You commonly hear it referred to as pink eye. At The Children's Clinic of Klamath, serving Klamath Falls, OR, and the nearby region, we want you to understand what causes it to help prevent it and what you can expect from treatment with Dr. Nicola Cherry.

General Information

 Conjunctivitis occurs when your child has swelling of the conjunctiva as the result of a virus, bacteria, allergen, chemical splash, or foreign object in the eye. Both bacterial and viral conjunctivitis can be spread from direct or indirect contact with eye drainage. 

When it happens, your child's eyes may appear red from the blood vessels in the conjunctiva becoming irritated or swollen, and therefore, more visible. Their eyes may also be itchy or painful.

Sometimes, your kid may have a "gritty feeling," like something is in their eye. Discharge, excessive tearing, or sensitivity to light may occur.

Treatment

 We can diagnose the issue at our Klamath Falls, OR, office by looking at the affected eye. If it's from allergies, we'll prescribe an antihistamine and/or a steroid or anti-inflammatory eye drop. If it's from a chemical splash, we'll flush the eye out. And when a foreign object is in the eye, we'll either flush or remove it. 

If none of these are the case, and it comes from a microbe, we may recommend you and your child wait it out since most cases are viral. We'll suggest ways to ease any discomfort, such as by applying a cool compress. A warm, damp rag can help open your child's eyes if they're experiencing crusting from the discharge while they sleep.

We can test to see if it's bacterial. If it is, we'll recommend an antibiotic to kill the bacteria and treat the problem. We'll also educate you on ways to prevent your child from spreading it, such as by ensuring they put towels and bedding immediately in the hamper and always washing their hands.

School Attendance

 The infection is contagious as long as symptoms occur in viral cases. So, we recommend you keep your child home until the discharge has completely or nearly stopped. With a bacterial case, your kid can return to school 24 hours after they start their antibiotic. This helps prevent the spread of it to the rest of the classroom.

If your child has signs of conjunctivitis, schedule a visit at The Children's Clinic of Klamath, serving Klamath Falls, OR, and the neighboring communities, with Dr. Cherry for a formal diagnosis and the appropriate treatment.

Call 541-884-1224.