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Neonatal conjunctivitis - Symptom

Alternative Names

Newborn conjunctivitis; Conjunctivitis of the newborn; Ophthalmia neonatorum; Herpetic neonatal conjunctivitis

Symptoms:

Infected newborn infants develop drainage from the eyes within 1 day to 2 weeks after birth.

The eyelids become puffy, red, and tender.

There may be watery, bloody, or thick pus-like drainage from the infant's eyes.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform an eye exam on the baby. If the eye does not appear normal, the following tests may be done:

Culture of the drainage from the eye to look for bacteria or viruses
Slit-lamp examination to look for damage to the surface of the eyeball

Reviewed last on: 12/11/2009
Kimberly G. Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Rubenstein JB, Virasch V. Conjunctivitis: infectious and noninfectious. In: Yanoff M, Duker JS, eds. Ophthalmology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 4.6.

Blindness and vision loss

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