Re: Conjunctivitis

Posted By HFHS M.D. - NI on December 15, 1998 at 21:24:44:

In Reply to: Conjunctivitis posted by JOE on December 15, 1998 at 11:53:01:






While this area is pediatric I couldn't find an area that covered my question appropriarely.  My wife recently came down with conjunctivitis and her sister told her that she probably caught it from our cat.  The cat has nosymptoms of the problem.  The question is cvan one contract it from cleaning the litter box or maybe more appropriatly can one get this from cats??
Thanks in advance for your reply.




  
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the superficial layers of the eye.  
This is a common infection with many causes.  The most common cause of conjunctivitis or "PINK EYE" is a virus.  This usually starts in one eye and may spread to the other eye. There may be a history of exposure to someone else with pink eye.  This can be very infectious and last for about 2 weeks. This usually gets better on its own.
In many cases, the exact origin of the virus is difficult to identify.  It could be caught from someone else or may be related to the common cold.
There are many other causes of conjunctivitis such as bacterial infections, allergies, and contact lens usage.  
Getting conjunctivitis from a cat is very rare.  There is an infection known as "Cat Scratch Disease" which very uncommonly causes conjunctivitis (Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome).  Casual contact with cats such as cleaning the litter box is probably not enough to catch this disease.  Most people who are scratched by cats also do not get it.  This is a bacterial infection which may require antibiotics for treatment.  
To determine whether this is caused by a virus, a bacterial infection or by something else, a complete examination by an ophthalmologist is necessary.  This can be done by your ophthalmologist.  If you do not have one or would like another opinion, you can arrange an appointment with the Henry Ford Hospital Eye Care Services at (313) 916 - 2020.
This information is provided for general medical education purposes only.  Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition.
Sincerely Yours,
HFHS M.D.-NI
  *Keywords: Conjunctivitis, Pink Eye, Cat Scratch Disease