Allergic Conjunctivitis - Symptoms And Treatment In Adults And Children

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 02:10

Allergic conjunctivitis: symptoms and treatment

It is difficult to find a person who has not experienced at least once an atypical reaction to food, dust, wool lint, flowering plants, cosmetics, perfumes, and even to such natural factors familiar from childhood as cold and sun.

Allergy manifestations are diagnosed on the skin, digestive and respiratory organs. The most prominent symptoms are allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. At the present stage, immunology is unable to act on the cause of the inadequate response of human immunity. Drugs can only slightly alleviate negative symptoms, including those of allergic conjunctivitis.

Characteristic of pathology:

• Allergic conjunctivitis is the reaction of the immune system to the introduction into the human body of a factor that provokes an immune response.
• Symptoms of the disease appear seasonally or continuously. Distinguish between acute, subacute and chronic pathology.

Basic principles of treatment:

• Elimination of the provoking factor;
• The use of eye drops with antihistamine properties;
• Simultaneous use of immunomodulators.

Types of allergic conjunctivitis:

• Hay,
• Drug,
• Chronic,
• Spring,
• Atopic keratoconjuntivitis (diagnosed mainly in adults).

Content:

• Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis in children
• Types and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis
• Allergic conjunctivitis treatment
• Treatment for seasonal conjunctivitis (hay fever)
• Chronic allergic conjunctivitis treatment
• Treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis
• Treatment of allergic reactions in infectious conjunctivitis
• Treatment of drug allergic conjunctivitis

Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis in children

The higher the concentration of an agent foreign to the immune system, the more pronounced the symptoms of pathology. An equally important factor is the body's individual reaction to allergens. Hence the difference in the time of the onset of the first symptoms - from half an hour to 1-2 days.

Disease manifestations:

• Along with conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis is often diagnosed, its symptoms are a runny nose, the release of a large amount of mucus, which even more irritates the mucous membrane of the eye.
• There is severe itching, burning in the eyelids, lacrimation. The intensity of the itching is so high that the patient is in constant discomfort.
• Children tend to scratch their eyes in an attempt to calm the itching. In this case, pathogenic microorganisms enter the mucous membrane, which further exacerbates the course of the disease. The complex therapy of allergic conjunctivitis necessarily includes drops and ointments with antibacterial action.
• On the mucous membrane of the eye, the appearance of a viscous, transparent, mucous discharge is noted. The attachment of the bacterial component leads to the appearance of pus in the corners of the eyes, from which the eyelids stick together after sleep.
• An additional symptom is the appearance of small follicles or papillae on the mucous membrane of the eye.
• A decrease in the amount of tears produced, which normally wash the mucous membrane of the eye, leads to a child's feeling of dryness, the appearance of a feeling that sand has been poured into his eyes, as well as photophobia.
• Partial atrophy of the conjunctiva brings pain and discomfort when the eyeball moves.
• The eyes get tired quickly, they turn red.

Types of allergic conjunctivitis and provoking factors:

• year-round - permanent allergens: house dust, feathers of decorative birds, pet hair, household chemicals;
• periodic - allergens that appear during the flowering season of plants;
• contact - cosmetics, solutions for contact lenses.

To prescribe an effective treatment, it is necessary to eliminate the effect of the allergen, that is, close interaction of the ophthalmologist, dermatologist and allergist is required.

Find out more: How to tell an allergy from another disease?

Types and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis

Age category	Itching of the mucous membrane	Inflammation of the cornea of the eye, eyelids	The presence of discharge	Lachrymation
Pollinous, goes into the category of chronic, if it lasts more than six months	Seasonal appearance, appears when trees, herbs, flowers bloom	All ages	Significant	Not marked	Mucous character	Expressed
Drug	Has no seasonality	All ages	there is	Not only the skin of the eyelids is affected, but also the retina of the eye, the optic nerve	Mucous	Mucous
Spring	Exacerbations in summer and spring	Occasionally in children from 3 years old, more often from 14 years old	there is	The cornea of the eye is affected	Stringy and viscous mucus	From complete absence to significant manifestations
Atopic keratoconjunctivitis	No seasonality	Over the age of 40	there is	there is	Of various nature	Present

Allergic conjunctivitis treatment

After excluding the allergen from the patient's environment, the doctor prescribes local or systemic therapy for allergic manifestations. Additionally, immunotherapy is prescribed, the symptoms of the disease are relieved, including using antimicrobial drugs.

Tablets and drops for allergic conjunctivitis:

• Antihistamine drugs - Loratidin, Zyrtec, Claritin, Telfast, Tsetrin. Some of the funds are not used to treat children.
• Drops that stabilize the state of the cell membrane - Zaditen (Ketotifen), Lekrolin (Cromohexal).
• Eye drops that block histamine receptors - Allergodil, Opatanol, Vizin Alerji, Histimet.
• To block the production of histamine, eye drops with mast cell stabilizers are used - Lekrolin, Krom-allerg, Lodoxamide (not used in children under 2 years of age), Hi-Krom (contraindicated for children under 4 years of age).

• To correct the production of tears ("dry eye syndrome"), which is absent for various reasons, tear substitutes are used: Oksial, Oftogel, Systain, Defislez, Oftolik, Vizin pure tear, Inox, Vidisik, natural tear. This effect is observed in elderly patients with allergic conjunctivitis. Joining the process of inflammation and the cornea requires the appointment of eye drops with vitamins and dexpanthenol: Quinax, Khrustalin, Katahrom, Catalin, Udzhala, Emoxipin, Vita-Yodurol.
• Difficult forms of allergic conjunctivitis are stopped with eye drops with corticosteroids, most often they include hydrocortisone or dexamethasone. Hormonal treatment can lead to unpredictable complications for the body, therefore such drugs require a balanced approach, accurate dosage, and gradual withdrawal.
• Eye drops with a non-steroidal component and anti-inflammatory effect contain Diclofenac.

With frequent relapses of allergic conjunctivitis, specific immunotherapy is performed.

Treatment for seasonal conjunctivitis (hay fever)

Children and adults, acutely reacting to the flowering of flowers, trees, cereals and weeds, feel a sharp onset of hay fever - severe itching, watery eyes, burning eyelids, photophobia.

Treatment of manifestations of the disease:

• To quickly relieve symptoms, Allergodil or Spersallerg is instilled. In most cases, relief comes after a quarter of an hour. Spersallerg contains a vasoconstrictor component.
• The frequency of use in the acute period is 3-4 times a day, after a few days - 2 times a day. With pronounced manifestations, antihistamines are used orally.
• A subacute or acute course of the disease is stopped with Cromohexal or Alomid eye drops, using them 3-4 times a day.

Chronic allergic conjunctivitis treatment

It develops with a tendency to allergic reactions, the course of the disease depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. The symptoms of the disease are usually somewhat smoothed, although itching, burning of the eyelids, and tearing are always diagnosed.

• The causes of this form of the disease are allergies to food, wool, dust, household chemicals, skin, body and hair care.
• Treatment is carried out with drops with Dexamethasone, Spersallerg (1-2 times a day), Alomid, Cromhexal (2-3 times a day).

Treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis

The disease most often occurs in older preschool children, and more often in boys than in girls. It becomes chronic and affects both eyes at once. A characteristic symptom is the appearance of a small overgrowth of the cartilaginous tissue of the eyelids in the form of small papillae. In rare cases, the growths are so large that the eyelid is deformed. These manifestations are seasonal, they are more pronounced in spring, somewhat smoothed in autumn.

Treatment:

• Eye drops Alomid, Cromhexal, Maxidex are effective (contain Dexamethasone).
• In case of changes in the cornea, the appearance of erosions, infiltrates, keratitis on it, instillations with Alomid are used, using the drug 2-3 times a day.
• Acute manifestations of allergies are stopped by Allergodil in combination with Maxidex drops.
• The complex treatment regimen includes antihistamines (Cetrin, Zodak, Claritin), administered orally, and histaglobulin injections.

Treatment of allergic reactions in infectious conjunctivitis

According to research in ophthalmology, the relationship between allergies and any bacterial or viral conjunctivitis has been revealed, regardless of the factors that caused them. It is believed that in the clinical picture of fungal, herpetic, chlamydial, adenoviral conjunctivitis, there are manifestations of allergies. Its role is especially great in the course of chronic conjunctivitis.

• Antibiotics, antiviral agents, antiseptics, which are part of the complex therapy of a bacterial or viral form of pathology, create a significant toxic effect on the body, provoke its immune response.
• Based on this, in the treatment of these types of mucosal inflammation, eye drops with antiallergic properties are always prescribed.
• It is advisable to treat the acute course of the disease with Allergodil, Spersallerg drops, chronic - Alomid, Cromhexal (2 times a day).

Treatment of drug allergic conjunctivitis

Most drugs are chemical compounds that are foreign to the tissues and cells of the human body. His immune system reacts to the invasion of foreign agents in the only way possible for it. The share of drug allergy among all types of conjunctivitis is about 30%. It is provoked not only by tablets, but also by ointments, gels and creams for topical use.

• Even drugs for the treatment of ophthalmic pathologies can cause drug conjunctivitis. It manifests itself on the skin of the eyelids, on the conjunctiva, on the cornea of the eye. Most often, the cause of this reaction is the preservative of the eye drops, the reaction to it can be delayed and appear 2-4 weeks after the agent enters the immune system.
• At the beginning of treatment, contact with the allergen is limited, the doctor prescribes an oral antihistamine - Cetrin, Claritin, Loratidin (1 time per day), eye drops Spersallerg, Allergodil in the acute course of the process, or Alomid, Cromhexal in the chronic form of drug conjunctivitis.

The author of the article: Degtyareva Marina Vitalievna, ophthalmologist, ophthalmologist