Order Now
*You must be a licensed medical or research facility to purchase product.

Making the Right Differential Diagnosis

Based solely on signs and symptoms, even ocular specialists fail to make an accurate diagnosis for conjunctivitis in approximately 40-75% of their cases1-6.

Common symptoms for conjunctivitis include:
  • Significant conjunctival injection
  • Discharge
  • Eyelash matting or crusting
  • Foreign body sensation
  • Tearing
When a patient presents with these symptoms, you want to quickly and accurately diagnose the underlying cause so you can map out a clear, appropriate, and effective treatment plan. The differential diagnosis for acute conjunctivitis includes:
  • Viral conjunctivitis
    • Adenoviral
    • Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)
    • Other
  • Bacterial conjunctivitis
    • Acute bacterial
    • Chlamydia
    • Gonorrhea
  • Allergic conjunctivitis
    • Seasonal
    • Atopic
    • Vernal
  • Medication
  1. Fitch CP, Rapoza PA, Owens S,et al. Epidemiology and diagnosis of acute conjunctivitis at an inner-city hospital. Ophthalmology. 1989;96: 1215-20
  2. Stenson S, Newman R, Fedukowicz H. Laboratory studies in acute conjunctivitis. Arch Ophthalmol. 1982;;100:1275-7
  3. Leibowitz HW, Pratt MV, Flagstad IJ, et al. Human conjunctivitis. I. Diagnostic evaluation. Arch Ophthalmol. 1976;94:1747-9
  4. Cheung D, Bremner J, Chan JT. Epidemic kerato-conjunctivitis--do outbreaks have to be epidemic? Eye. 2003;17:356-63
  5. Høvding G. Acute bacterial conjunctivitis. Acta Ophthalmol. 2008;86:5-17
  6. O'Brien TP, Jeng BH, McDonald M, and Raizman MB. "Acute Conjunctivitis: Truth and Misconceptions" . Current Medical Research and Opinion 2009; Vol 25; 8;1953-1961.