Conjunctivitis
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Conjunctivitis is a common eye condition that affects children, especially under 5 years of age. It can either be caused by an infection or by an allergy. Infectious conjunctivitis is contagious and may spread to other household members. Allergic conjunctivitis is more common in children with allergies such as hay fever.
This guidance has been reviewed and adapted by healthcare professionals across North East and North Cumbria with consent from the Hampshire development groups.
Conjunctivitis is a common eye condition that affects children, especially under 5 years of age. It can either be caused by an infection or by an allergy. Infectious conjunctivitis is contagious and may spread to other household members. Allergic conjunctivitis is more common in children with allergies such as hay fever.
This guidance has been reviewed and adapted by healthcare professionals across North East and North Cumbria with consent from the Hampshire development groups.
When should you worry?
If your child has any of the following:
- Eyeball is bulging out
- Vision loss
- Severe pain in eyes
- Breathing very fast or breathing that stops or pauses
- Working hard to breathe, drawing in of the muscles below the rib, unable to talk or noisy breathing (grunting)
- Becomes pale, blue, mottled and/or unusually cold to touch
- Difficult to wake up, very sleepy or confused
- Weak, high-pitched, continuous cry or extremely agitated
- Has a fit (seizure)
- A temperature less than 36oC or temperature 38oC or more if baby is less than 3 months
- Develops a rash that does not disappear with pressure and seems unwell (see the 'Glass Test')
You need urgent help
Go to the nearest Hospital Emergency (A&E) Department or phone 999 - consider using ‘What 3 words’ to best describe location to ambulance service
If your child has any of the following:
- Red swollen eye
- Changes in vision (blurred or very sensitive to light)
- Severe headache
- Persistent vomiting
- Blisters develop on the skin next to the eye
- Babies under 1 month with a red eye(s) and yellow/green discharge
- Breathing a bit faster than normal or working a bit harder to breathe
- Dry skin, lips, tongue or looking pale
- Not had a wee or wet nappy in last 12 hours
- Sleepy or not responding normally
- Crying and unsettled
- Poor feeding (babies) or not drinking (children)
- A temperature 39oC or above in babies 3-6 months
- Temperature of 38oC or above for more than 5 days or shivering with fever (rigors)
- Getting worse or you are worried about them
You need to contact a doctor or nurse today
Please ring your GP surgery or call NHS 111 - dial 111.
If your child has none of the above
Watch them closely for any change and look out for any red or amber symptoms.
Additional advice is also available for families for help cope with crying in otherwise well babies.
Self care
Continue providing your child’s care at home. If you are still concerned about your child, call NHS 111 – dial 111.
Advice and Guidance
Self care and Prevention
Causes of conjunctivitis
Most cases of conjunctivitis in children are caused by an infection; your child may also have a runny nose, cough or earache.
Treatment
Most children with conjunctivitis do not need treatment with antibiotics - it takes the same amount of time to get better whether an antibiotic is used or not.
If your child has any features of severe infection (amber or red features above), they will need to be urgently seen by a healthcare professional who may decide that your child may benefit from antibiotic treatment. If your child is under 28 days of age and has a red eye(s) or large amounts of pus discharging from their eye(s), they need to be seen by a healthcare professional.
You can help relieve symptoms by gently cleaning the eye(s) with cotton balls soaked in warm water.
- Clean in one direction only, outwards from the inside (nose side) of the eye. This prevents the other eye becoming infected if only one eye is affected.
- Discard the cotton ball each time to prevent reinfection.
- Do not try to clean inside the eyelids as this may cause damage to the inside of the eye. Lubricating eye drops such as 'artificial tears' may give some relief.
- If your child wears contact lenses, make sure they stop using them until their symptoms have completely gone.
It can take up to 2 weeks for a child to fully recover from conjunctivitis . If your child is not improving after 2 weeks, you should take your child to see their GP.
Mild conjunctivitis - no treatment required (green)
Peri-orbital cellulitis - needs same day review (amber)
Prevention
- To avoid conjunctivitis spreading to other family members, make sure all family member (and your children) wash hands regularly with warm soapy water and wash your child's pillows and face cloths in hot water and detergent. Avoid sharing towels and pillows.
Your child does not need to be excluded from school or childcare if they have conjunctivitis.
This guidance is written by healthcare professionals from across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
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