Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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Complications of Conjunctivitis
Viral conjunctivitis can spread to the cornea, the white of the eye. This is called keratitis and can be serious because some viruses, such as the herpes virus, can cause blindness.
Infective conjunctivitis is common in newborn babies, but sometimes they can have very severe conjunctivitis because their immune systems can’t fight it properly. It is important to seek medical attention if your baby has the symptoms of conjunctivitis. It is often caused by the bacteria that normally live in the birth canal, which the baby comes into contact with during labour and birth, but in rare cases it may be due to serious infection such as gonorrhoea or chlamydia.
Conjunctivitis can also be a symptom of other infections such as measles or leptospirosis, a bacterial infection.
If you have severe allergic conjunctivitis you may be referred to a specialist allergy centre.









