Eye Infection Symptoms

The common infections of the eye that are most prevalent are conjunctivitis (also known pink eye) and sty. Other eye infections are blepharitis, trachoma, corneal ulcer and keratitis. People who are in the habit of wearing contact eye lenses, are found to be prone to eye infections. This is because of the buildup of the bacteria that is created due to wearing the lenses without proper disinfection. When the normal defense mechanisms of the eyes falls weak, they becomes vulnerable to eye infections. These infections may have different sources such as from the eyelids, sinus, eye trauma, eye surgery, a weak immune system or other bacterial or viral diseases. Below is a list of some of the mild and severe eye infection symptoms.

Symptoms of Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis or pinkeye, is identified by its most prominent symptom; the white of the eye or the inner eyelid turning red. It may affect one or both the eyes. The person may experience frequent flow of tears and feel thick crusts of yellow discharge over the eyelashes. This usually happens during sleep and the person may find it a bit difficult to open his eye lids as they stick together due to the yellow discharge. There will be constant sensation of itching in the eye(s) that is accompanied by pain when there is some kind of strain on the eyes. Conjunctivitis affects the eye by increasing the sensitivity of the eye(s) towards light (photophobia) and cause constant burning of the eyes.

Symptoms of Sty
If the person is suffering from sty, then the normal eye infection symptoms are irritation and itching. The most obvious one is a lump on the top or bottom eyelid. Redness, tenderness and pain in the affected eye are the early symptoms of sty. When left untreated, more severe symptoms include swelling, discomfort while blinking, increased amount of tears and increased sensitivity to light.

Symptoms of Blepharitis
Blepharitis eye infection comes in two types; anterior blepharitis and posterior blepharitis. Both of these infections share the same symptoms such as eye irritation, burning and a foreign body sensation, crusty debris, dryness and red eyelid margins. Photophobia, swollen eyelids, warm and sore eyelids, eyelids glued shut, matted and loss of eye lashes are the other eye infection symptoms in blepharitis.

Symptoms of Trachoma
Early eye infection symptoms of trachoma include redness of the eyes, watery eyes, swollen eyelids and sensitivity to light. When this infection progresses, it shows symptoms of small red lumps in the eyelids and at a later stage, these eyelid lumps multiply and enlarge in size. At a much later stage, the affected person may start experiencing eye pain, corneal scarring and gradually dimming vision.

Symptoms of Fungal Eye Infection
Fungal eye infection symptoms are eye lesions, cloudy appearance on the eye's surface, inflammation of the eye and blurred or loss of vision. The other symptoms are similar to those of the infections that have been mentioned above, i.e. eye irritation, discharge, swelling, pain, tearing or redness and photophobia.

Symptoms of Corneal Ulcer
In corneal ulcer, a visible white or gray round spot on the cornea is visible. Apart from this, the symptoms are similar to the other eye infections. They include eye pain, red eye, tickling sensation in the eye, tearing, discharge from the eye, blurred vision, swollen eyelids and photophobia.

Symptoms of Keratitis
Keratitis is referred to as inflammation of the cornea and it may be chronic or acute. Keratitis usually affects the lower portion of the eye and these eye infection symptoms are mild irritation, tearing and sensitivity to light. Vision may become blurred at a later stage and if left untreated, corneal opacities may occur.

Thus, we can see from the above description that almost all the eye infection symptoms are similar to each other, with the exception of some specific symptoms. Eye infections are commonly contagious and it is best if they are left to be treated by medical professionals. Proper eye care and prevention is another way through which various eye problems can be kept at bay. Infections normally spread through unhygienic conditions at home or at work and this can be prevented by maintaining proper hygiene and clean surroundings.