Diagnosing conjunctivitis is quite simple even for lack of ophthalmological knowledge and experience. However, it is not so easy to find out the cause of the inflammatory process and its pathogen immediately. Therefore, often only an expert can determine a viral conjunctivitis - the symptoms of the disease are almost identical to the clinical course of other types of pathology, but there are specific signs.
Symptoms of acute conjunctivitis
After infection with the virus, usually takes 4-12 days (incubation period), during which the sick person does not yet feel any unpleasant symptoms.
Once the pathogenic cells reach a high concentration, the following manifestations of conjunctivitis are observed:
- redness of blood vessels in the eyes and mucous membranes of the eyelids;
- marked swelling of the tissues;
- copious lacrimation;
- dense and viscous serous, less often purulent discharge from the eyes;
- photophobia ;
- increased nearby lymph nodes;
- the formation of follicles on the conjunctiva;
- itching and rezi in the eyes ;
- increased body temperature;
- sensation of the presence of a foreign body, a mote between the mucosa and sclera;
- corneal opacity;
- headaches and fatigue;
- formation on the mucous membranes of thin serous films;
- tired eyes at the slightest stress;
- coalescence of the eyelids;
- soreness with palpation of parotid lymph nodes.
Some of these symptoms are peculiar to the disease described.
Symptoms of chronic viral conjunctivitis
If the pathology has not been treated for a long time, it can go into a latent or slow form.
During the periods of remission, clinical manifestations of conjunctivitis are absent or almost invisible to humans. However, with relapses of the disease, they are very pronounced and intensified from time to time.