Spring conjunctivitis: Causes, symptoms and treatment

Entering the spring and summer months, you are at a higher risk for spring conjunctivitis, which makes your eyes more susceptible to allergies. How to prevent this seasonal disease?

You may get itchy, red eyes, or even watery eyes with a lot of bumps, which often recur especially in the spring months. This is sometimes a sign of allergic conjunctivitis, or spring conjunctivitis.

Conjunctivitis is a form of eye disease caused by a bacterial infection, also known as pinkeye , which can cause discomfort, redness or irritation of the eyes. Most conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria. Meanwhile, spring conjunctivitis is a form of allergic inflammation.

This chronic eye inflammation occurs frequently during the spring and summer months. The reason this season, allergens are more common in the air, such as pollen. In addition, spring conjunctivitis also occurs due to other allergic reactions such as:

1. Cigarette smoke
2. Chlorine in pool water
3. Ingredients in cosmetics

Mild cases of conjunctivitis in the spring can be treated with cold compresses and eye drops. In more severe cases, you may need antihistamines or anti-inflammatory medications to treat.

This chronic eye inflammation occurs frequently during the spring and summer months.

Symptoms of spring conjunctivitis

1. Irritating, painful, itchy eyes
2. Burning sensation in the eye
3. Tears often
4. Swelling of the eyes, especially the area around the edge of the cornea that connects with the sclera
5. Red-eye
6. Sensitive to light
7. Blurred vision
8. Eyelid edema, white mucous discharge, especially in the upper eyelid

The above symptoms are common in other eye diseases. Sometimes itching or redness is not necessarily the same as conjunctivitis. However, you should see a doctor immediately if red eyes persist for a few days or are accompanied by sore eyes, vision changes.

The cause of spring conjunctivitis

The disease is caused by the body's reaction to allergens, such as pollen and pet hair. Allergens are antigenic substances, when entering the body, there are atopic allergic factors that produce antibodies and hypersensitivity reactions that manifest pathologies in one or more organs.

You are at high risk for this disease if someone in your family has allergies, especially asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis.

In addition, you are also at higher risk for spring conjunctivitis if you have other seasonal allergies.

To diagnose the disease, the doctor will examine your eyes and ask about your allergy history, and recommend some tests such as:

1. A skin allergy test allows your doctor to check which allergens you are allergic to
2. Blood tests can check for antibodies in the body, to determine if you are exposed to dust or mold
3. Take a sample of conjunctival tissue to determine the composition of eosinophil, a type of white blood cell that will react to allergens

Treatment and prevention of spring conjunctivitis

The first thing you need to do is avoid rubbing your eyes because this will only irritate your eyes. At the same time if you rub your eyes too much, it will cause corneal damage and even affect vision.

The majority of cases can be treated at home with measures such as:

1. Conventional eye drops like physiological saline
2. Antihistamine, antihistamine such as Benadryl
3. Closing your eyes and applying cold compresses several times a day may help relieve symptoms

However, you should not arbitrarily use anti-inflammatory drugs or ocular corticosteroids to avoid causing further eye damage without a doctor's prescription. You can prevent it in the following ways:

1. Identify your allergens and avoid contact with them later.
2. Stay indoors and use the air conditioner during peak hours during which the allergens are active during the spring and summer months.
3. Reduce contact time with those allergens outdoors as much as possible.
4. When you go out, you should wear a mask, glasses to avoid contact with dust or pollen if you are allergic to these allergens.
5. If you are allergic to perfume or dust in the home, you should limit contact with the above substances. You can use unscented soap or disinfectant, for example, installing an air purifier.

If your symptoms occur more often or last longer than a few days, you should see your doctor for prescription eye drops or antihistamines.

Spring conjunctivitis usually occurs on the basis of allergy, so if you or your family member has conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, or eczema, you should be extra careful to avoid contact with Allergy. For those of you who often relapse, you should not arbitrarily treat without your doctor's advice to prevent possible complications.