bacterial conjunctivitis recurring

Greetings,

I have caught bacterial conjunctivitis three months ago, after rubbing my eyes for one week in a raw everyday for several hours (i had itchy feeling ), afterward a yellow thick discharge began to appear in the morning that made my eyes stick together. I went to a pharmacy, the guy  there gave me tobradex eye drops, i used it for 2 days only, my symptoms immediately disappeared in the second day, however i discontinued using the antibiotic course thinking that it was cleared forever.

Now i am having every 2 or 3 weeks an episode of bacterial conjunctivitis, that lasts for 3 to 4 days than disappear, the reason for its reappearance is probably because i constantly rub my eyes. I have the following questions:

1-I have read somewhere that i should have not discontinued tobradex even if the symptoms cleared, because the bacteria has not been fully killed, and therefore it is reappearing again whenever i rub my eyes, is it true?

2-I am having sometimes some mild pain in my left, with some redness in both eyes, some burning, itching sensation, frequent involuntary tearing and some sensitivity to light, are these normal symptoms for bacterial conjunctivitis?

3- Is this dangerous? can it affect my eyesight in a way or another? what's next now, should i consult an ophthalmologist who will prescribe a new antibiotic? and for how long B.C will keep reoccurring?

P.S: I am a man (no make-up) and i do not wear lenses.

Thank you indeed for the great help.
Joseph.

[Houman Vosoghi, MD]

1)  You should use medications only under the direction of a medical doctor so you should be treated by an ophthalmologist for this.  You need to know why you rub your eyes.  Itching from allergies?  Blepharitis?  the latter may cause episodes like you are describing and there are ways of controlling it without medication.  See an ophthalmologist to diagnose what is going on.

2) Sometimes, but it could be a few other things so again, go see an ophthalmologist.

3) Depends what the real diagnosis is but some of these conditions could lead to scarring and infection of the cornea which could effect your vision long term.

Bottom line.  You need to see an ophthalmologist for a complete exam as I doubt this is simple conjunctivitis recurring.

HV

[zouxi]

thank you indeed for your valuable insight. Well things got clearer now after i visited an ophtalmologist today who checked my eyes and did not find any infective conjunctivitis bu rather an allergic reaction. After rling out viral and bacterial forms, he told me stop rubbing my eyes because rubbing my eyes frequently brought chemicals deep into my conjunctivia that led to allergic reaction (he told me that the itching is a solid proof that my pink eye is not infective). He prescribed two medications: Tobradex eye drps and azyter (azithromycin). My questons is the following:

i am reading on theinternet that the abovementioned drugs are prescribed for infective conjunctivitis (mainly bacterial), whereas azyter is used soley to treat blepharitis ( i do not have this condition, he confirmed that to me), should i consult another physician? or the drugs he prescribed are accurate for my condition?

Thank you once again for this great forum, unfortunately i live in a developped country (lebanon) where medical treatment and service is not highly efficient. This is my last question doctore, thank you for you time, effort and valuable insghts.

Joseph.