Conjunctivitis (known as Apollo in Nigeria)
The inflammation of the conjunctiva, a mucous membrane that covers the eyeball and lines the lids, which causes the affected eye to be watery and look bloodshot. This is either caused by allergic reaction or bacterial infection, and in newborns, an incompletely opened tear duct. This is usually accompanied by itching and/or a thick yellow-green discharge.
Conjunctivitis may make you feel as if you've got something in one or both of your eyes that you just can't remove. When you wake up in the morning, your eyes may seem to be pasted shut from the discharge coming from your eyes. You may not see as clearly as you did before, and the whites of your eyes may begin to have a pink discoloration, which occurs when small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become more prominent.
Symptoms
The most common signs and symptoms of pink eye (Apollo) include:
- Redness in one or both eyes
- Itchiness in one or both eyes
- Blurred vision and sensitivity to light
- A gritty feeling in one or both eyes
- A discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night
- Tearing
Treatment
1. Lime Water: a quarter of lime juice in a cup of boiled water is used to wash the eyes
2. Onion/honey: A portion of onion juice mixed with a small quantity of honey is applied as 2 drops 3 times daily in each eye for 2 days.
3. Camwood (Osun – Yoruba, Majigi - Hausa, Ufie – Igbo: the leaves are applied to the sore eyes.
4. Castor oil/cod-liver oil: 2 –3 drops of any of these is applied to the eyes for relief.
Prevention
Practicing good hygiene is the best way to control the spread of pink eye. Once the infection has been diagnosed, follow these steps:
- Don't touch your eyes with your hands.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
- Change your towel and washcloth daily, and don't share them with others.
- Change your pillowcase often.
- Discard eye cosmetics, particularly mascara.
- Don't use anyone else's eye cosmetics or personal eye-care items.
- Follow your eye doctor's instructions on proper contact lens care.
If your child is infected, avoid close contact with other children. Many schools send children with conjunctivitis home.
