![]() ![]() Neisseria gonorrheae is one of the few bacteria capable of penetrating the protective layers of the eye, causing inner-eye infection. Babies born to genitally infected women are at especially high risk of eye infection. The infection gets into the eye either directly through genital fluids such as semen, or when infected people rub their eyes after touching infected genital areas. Anyone with a history of histoplasmosis should see a doctor if they notice any changes in their vision.Ĭhlamydia and gonorrhea: These extremely common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can also cause conjunctivitis. Although only a tiny minority of people with histoplasmosis go on to suffer OHS, the fungus is so common that OHS is a significant infectious cause of legal blindness in Americans between the ages of 20 to 40 years. It causes symptoms and retinal decay very similar to macular degeneration, and can destroy the central part of the field of vision. Once there, it damages the retina, particularly the macula (the vital centre part where the vision cells are most concentrated). In a small fraction of cases, the fungus migrates to the retina many years or decades later. Most infections do not cause symptoms and resolve on their own. Up to 90% of people living in these areas have been exposed to the fungus during their lifetime. It's far more common in the US than in Canada, and is concentrated in the Midwestern states located in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. It's common in river valleys around the world. Ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (OHS): Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection of the lungs, which is caught by inhaling spores. Some of the most common causes of serious eye infection include: Infectious conjunctivitis is the most common cause of pinkeye around the world. Causes of infectious conjunctivitis are numerous and can usually be classified as viral, bacterial, or fungal. Bacterial infections occur most commonly in children and tend to result in longer-lasting cases of pinkeye. There are other causes of infectious conjunctivitis, such as bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus. Viral conjunctivitis is very contagious because the virus can be spread from the eye to hands that then touch doorknobs and other surfaces that other people use. This type of infectious conjunctivitis is sometimes called pinkeye and is most common in children. The most common eye infection is conjunctivitis caused by an adenovirus (a type of common cold virus). It generally attacks the blood supply of the retina, on the inner rear surface of the eye. Ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (OHS), for example, is caused by a fungus (the condition is a type of chorioretinitis). Secondly, eye infections are also classified according to what's causing them. These are just a few examples – the eye is a complex organ of many parts. Other possible locations of inflammation include the eyelid ( blepharitis), the cornea ( keratitis), the liquid inside the eye ( vitritis), the retina and the blood vessels that feed it ( chorioretinitis), or the optic nerve ( neuroretinitis). Conjunctivitis, for example, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the membrane that covers the front surface of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid. Infectious eye diseases can be categorized in two ways.įirstly, doctors normally talk about the part of the eye that's infected or inflamed. Many of the viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi that can invade the human body are also capable of attacking the surface or interior of the eye. ![]()
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