Granular Lids and Contagious Diseases of the Eye (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CAUSES OF CONJUNCTIVITIS. The principal cause of the larger number of inflammatory affections of the conjunctiva is infection with the discharge of inflamed eyes. But leaving aside the question of infection at present, we find that the causes of milder forms of conjunctivitis are atmospheric changes, improper use of the organ, and the action of irritating agents, which may act locally or by affecting the general system. Atmospheric influences may be great dryness or moisture, or too sudden changes of temperature: chilling. This is especially apt to occur in the spring and autumn, and these are the seasons in which we usually meet with the largest number of cases of acute or subacute catarrhal diseases of the conjunctiva. There are several forms of this kind of conjunctivitis; one of them, more subacute in nature, but very obstinate in its course, has been called vernal, or autumnal catarrh of the conjunctiva. This is characterized by an early participation of the bulbar conjunctiva, and by marked hypertrophy of the limbus. Another form that must be mentioned here is that in which both the conjunctiva of the lids and eyeball are markedly and simultaneously injected. Eyes afflicted in this manner have a peculiar bright-red appearance, and the disease is commonly known by the name of pinkeye. Still another form due to similar causes which is especially apt to show itself in debilitated children, and sometimes in adults, is that which is characterized by profuse serous infiltration of the conjunctiva and the eyelids. The variety is almost free of discharge and is spoken of as " adematous conjunctivitis." Another variety due to the same cause is the " Schwellungs-catarrh." The folds of transmission, especially the upper ones, are greatly swollen and appear like fleshy glist...