Infectious Eye Disease

What are Eye Infections?

Eye infections occur when harmful bacteria, fungal or viral organisms invade any part of the eyeball or surrounding area of the eye. This includes both the clear front surface of the eye (cornea) and the thin, moist membrane lining the outer eye and inner eyelids (conjunctiva).

What are Common Eye Infection Symptoms?

• Red Eyes
• Pain
• Eye Discharge
• Watery Eyes
• Dry Eyes
• Light Sensitivity
• Swollen Eyes
• Swelling Around The Eyes
• Itching
• Blurry Vision

Anytime you suspect an eye infection, you should always visit your eye doctor for an eye exam. Trying to self-diagnose your condition can delay effective treatment and potentially harm your vision.

Other Eyelid Problems

• Ptosis - drooping of the eyelid – may result from nerve or muscle damage, and sometimes requires surgical correction
• Dermatochalasis - excess or baggy skin on the eyelids, usually from loss of elastic tissue in the skin
• Ectropion - loosening of the eyelid causing it to turn outward, away from the eye
• Entropion - “collapsing” of the eyelid, causing the edge of the lid to turn inward, toward the eye-often results in discomfort due to eyelashes rubbing against the eye
• Blepharoplasty Surgery -  is also called eyelid lift surgery. It is done to correct the puffiness, sagging and drooping of upper eyelids. It is also used to remove the excess skin and the bags under the lower eyelid.
• Skin cancers on the eyelids -  refers to any cancer that develops on or in the eyelid. It is also known as an Epithelial Tumour because it's on the skin's surface. Sebaceous (fat), sweat, or apocrine glands, which are a form of sweat gland, may all cause an eyelid tumour.

Infected Eye Appearance

There are many different types of eye infections, and your eye doctor needs to determine the particular type of eye infection you have in order to prescribe the proper treatment.

Infected Eye Diagnosis

Your doctor may take a sample from the affected area of your eye for a culture to assess the exact type of infection you may have. This may help determine the most effective treatment, such as an antibiotic that selectively targets the type of bacteria causing the infection.

Causes and Types Of Eye Infections

There are many Types of Eye Infections some examples of viral, fungal and bacterial eye infections include:

Pink Eye or Conjunctivitis. 

Conjunctivitis also called "pink eye," is a common, highly contagious eye infection that often is spread among children in daycare centres, classrooms and similar environments. 

Teachers and daycare workers also are at increased risk of Pink Eye when they work in close quarters with young children.

Common infectious conjunctivitis types often have viral or bacterial origins. Infants also can acquire conjunctival eye infections (gonococcal and chlamydial conjunctivitis) during birth when a mother has a sexually transmitted disease.

Other Viral Keratitis

Other viral eye infections (viral keratitis). Besides the common pink eye, other viral eye infections include:

• Ocular Herpes, which occurs with exposure to the Herpes simplex virus.
• Fungal Keratitis gained notoriety when a contact lens solution was linked to an outbreak.

Fungal Eye

A fungal eye infection is associated with Fusarium Fungi, commonly found in organic matter. This and other fungi can invade the eye in other ways, such as through a penetrating injury caused by a tree branch.

Acanthamoeba Keratitis

Acanthamoeba keratitis can relate to contact lens wearers who are at increased risk of encountering parasites that can invade the eye and cause a serious sight-threatening infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

This is why contact lens wearers should observe certain safety tips, such as avoiding swimming while wearing contacts.

If you do wear contact lenses when swimming or relaxing in a hot tub, make sure you remove and disinfect your lenses immediately afterwards. 

Indeed, there is an increased risk of fungal and bacterial eye infections among contact lens wearers in general, and proper contact lens care must be followed. 

Contact lens usage guidelines recommend that manufacturers include a discard date (not just a date of expiration) on contact lens cleaning and disinfecting products to help minimize the risk of eye infection.

Trachoma 

Trachoma is related to Chlamydia trachomatis and can be found in less-developed regions. There it is a leading cause of blindness. Flies can spread the infection in unsanitary environments, and reinfection is a common problem.

Trachoma typically infects the inner eyelid, which begins to scar. Scarring then causes an "in-turning" of the eyelid, and eyelashes begin to brush against and destroy tissue on the cornea, with resulting permanent blindness.

Good hygiene and availability of treatments for Trachoma such as oral antibiotics are essential to controlling Trachoma.

In advanced cases of Trachoma, the patient may require surgery to either 

• Surgery to redirect the lashes away from the eye, or 
• Corneal Transplantation to replace the damaged cornea (the outer layer of the eye) with a donated one.

Endophthalmitis

Endophthalmitis is a severe form of eye infection and inflammation. 

When an eye infection penetrates the eye's interior, as with bacterial Endophthalmitis, blindness could result without immediate treatment typically with potent antibiotics. 

If you wear contact lenses, you should wear only your eyeglasses until you have visited your eye doctor for diagnosis and treatment. This type of infection can occur with a penetrating eye injury or as a rare complication of eye surgery such as cataract surgery. Any time the eye's globe is penetrated and injured significantly, there is a small risk of Endophthalmitis.

Other causes of Endophthalmitis include rare cases where mould has penetrated the eye's interior.

Reactions for Makeup or Cosmetics

Some eye infections can be triggered due to Makeup or Cosmetic products. These problems may include a bad reaction causing an eye infection.  Products with an unusual smell or colour (which could mean that the product is old or contaminated) should be observed with suspicion.  Inaccurate or incomplete labelling can also be related to this problem.

Complications Caused by Eye Infections

An infection also can affect interior portions of the upper and lower eyelids to create:

• Stye - A red, painful lump near the edge of the eyelid that may look like a boil or a pimple, or 
• Chalazion - A slow-growing, inflammatory lump in the tear gland of the eyelid.

When an infection invades the eye's tear glands, inflammatory conditions such as 

• Dacryostenosis and 
• Uveitis can result. 

Other Eye Infections in and around the eye also can lead to:

• Inflammation and blockage of the eye's tear drainage system and cause Dacryocystitis.
• Corneal Ulcer, which resembles an abscess on the eye.
• Orbital Cellulitis,

If left untreated these conditions can spread and may lead to vision loss.

Eye Infection Treatments

Bacterial Eye Infection Treatments

Where an Eye Infection is caused by a bacteria, in most cases the Eye Infections can be treated using prescription antibiotic eye drops, ointments and compresses.

The sooner a treatment is started for an Eye Infection the less potential damage you are allowing to occur.

Viral Eye Infection Treatments

Many common viral eye infections resolve on their own. In cases of severe viral eye infections, an antiviral eye drop may be prescribed. Some viral eye infections require careful administration of steroid eye drops to reduce related inflammation.

Depending on the underlying cause of your eye infection, your doctor also may prescribe antibiotics or antiviral medications that are taken orally.