Conjunctiva
Bacterial Conjunctivitis
Also known as: sticky eye, mucopurulent conjunctivitis, pink eye bacterial
Filed as: Routine
Source-cited from the record's own evidence list. Clinical content programme led by Dr Ankit Mathur, PhD, Grad Cert Ocu Thera, B.S. Optom. How the clinical content is governed
Clinical decision support only
OptoGuide™ supports professional judgement and does not diagnose or replace clinician responsibility.
Overview
Acute diffuse pink-red conjunctivitis with mucopurulent discharge, sticky lids, mild irritation, and preserved vision in uncomplicated cases.
Recognition
Symptoms: what patients report
- Sticky or mucopurulent discharge
- Lids stuck on waking
- Diffuse red eye with mild irritation rather than significant pain
- Vision is usually unaffected in uncomplicated cases
Signs: what the examination shows
- Diffuse bulbar and palpebral conjunctival injection
- Mucopurulent discharge
- Papillae may be present but follicles are not the dominant pattern
- No corneal infiltrate in uncomplicated cases
What OptoGuide™ covers for bacterial conjunctivitis
- Pattern reasoning: what this combination of findings points to, and its differentiators
- Don't-miss risks and escalation triggers
- Management tiers with linked Australian therapeutics
- Referral urgency, specialty, and letter drafting
Sources
- Bacterial conjunctivitis — College of Optometrists Clinical Management Guideline
- Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z (Bruce & Loughnan) — standard reference text
- Eye Infections. Durand ML, Barshak MB, Sobrin L. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2023;389(25):2363-2375.
- Does This Patient With Acute Infectious Conjunctivitis Have a Bacterial Infection?: The Rational Clinical Examination Systematic Review. Johnson D, Liu D, Simel D. JAMA. 2022;327(22):2231-2237.
- Guide to Utilization of the Microbiology Laboratory for Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases: 2024 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Miller JM, Binni
- Chen YY et al. Antibiotics versus placebo for acute bacterial conjunctivitis — Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023;3:CD001211 (persistent clinical infection; resolution without treatment usually 1 to 2 weeks)
Standard texts: Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systematic Approach, The Wills Eye Manual, Oxford Handbook of Ophthalmology, Oxford American Handbook of Ophthalmology, Signs in Ophthalmology: Causes & Differential Diagnosis.