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Conjunctivitis - infective - Management
What self-care advice should I give someone with infective conjunctivitis that lasts longer than 2 weeks?
- Urgently seek medical attention if marked eye pain or photophobia, loss of visual acuity or marked redness of the eye develop.
- Remove contact lenses, if worn, until all symptoms and signs of infection have completely resolved and any treatment has been completed for 24 hours.
- Lubricant eye drops may reduce eye discomfort; these are available over the counter, as well as on prescription.
- Clean away infected secretions from eyelids and lashes with cotton wool soaked in water.
- Wash hands regularly, particularly after touching infected secretions, and to avoid sharing pillows and towels to avoid spreading infection.
In depth
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