Conjunctiva
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
Also known as: neonatal conjunctivitis, newborn purulent eye discharge, gonococcal neonatal conjunctivitis
Filed as: Emergency
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
Neonatal conjunctivitis in the first 4 weeks of life; purulent discharge, conjunctival redness, or lid swelling can signal severe infective disease that rapidly threatens vision and systemic safety.
Recognition
Symptoms: what patients report
- Eye discharge in first 4 weeks of life
- Lid swelling
- Conjunctival redness
Signs: what the examination shows
- Copious purulent discharge in severe cases
- Conjunctival inflammation
- Possible corneal involvement
What OptoGuide™ covers for ophthalmia neonatorum
- 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
- Ophthalmia neonatorum — College of Optometrists Clinical Management Guideline
- Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics A-Z (Bruce & Loughnan) — standard reference text
- Conjunctivitis. Marin A, Abad N, Friedman S. Pediatrics in Review. 2025;46(1):58-61.
- Ocular Disorders in the Newborn. Mehner LC, Singh JK. NeoReviews. 2021;22(7):e461-e469.
- Neonatal Conjunctivitis. Khan A, Anders A, Cardonell M. NeoReviews. 2022;23(9):e603-e612.
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.