Severe inflammation of the eye, especially, but not exclusively, one involving the conjunctiva.
See conjunctivitis.
ophthalmia neonatorum An acute conjunctivitis that occurs in the first month of life as a result of infection acquired in the birth canal. The most common causes are
Chlamydia trachomatis,
Streptococcus pneumoniae,
Neisseria gonorrhoeae,
Staphylococcus aureus and herpes simplex virus. The eyelids are swollen and stuck together by purulent discharge. If the cause is gonococcal, loss of the eye is a real and immediate threat. A gonococcal infection develops within 2-4 days after birth, whereas a chlamydial infection normally appears 5-14 days after birth. Differential diagnosis is facilitated by laboratory tests (e.g. Gram staining of conjunctival scrapings). Management depends on the cause: systemic erythromycin and topical tetracycline for chlamydial infection, ceftriaxone or cefotaxime for gonococcal infection, and eye irrigation with saline solution.
Syn. blennorrhoea neonatorum; gonococcal ophthalmia; neonatal conjunctivitis.
See acute conjunctivitis;
adult inclusion conjunctivitis.
sympathetic ophthalmia A rare, bilateral granulomatous inflammation of the uveal tract that usually follows perforation of one eye due to trauma, or more rarely intraocular surgery. The inflammation occurs first in the injured eye (called the
exciting eye) and follows in the other eye (called the
sympathetic eye). It usually occurs within 2 to 12 weeks, although some cases may appear later. The condition is believed to be a T-lymphocyte-mediated delayed hypersensitivity. Treatment usually involves enucleation of the exciting eye and high doses of systemic and topical corticosteroids in the sympathetic eye.
Syn. sympathetic ophthalmitis.
See enucleation;
immunosuppressants;
uveitis.