Page 107 - July-Sept 2024 Edition

HEALTH FEATURE

When to see a doctor? If you’re worried see a doctor: better to feel you’re wasting time than risk missing
a serious disease. Although blurred vision, increasing pain, pain on pressing the eye, photophobia
can all still be due to a virus, in my opinion any such signs require an urgent visit, even 2 o clock in the
morning. Herpes can cause permanent corneal scars, uveitis can cause blindness. After 42 years in
Uganda I’ve seen some horrors, google endogenous endophthalmitis if you like being scared. I’ve seen
a case from a simple boil on his neck and the eye turned into a bag of pus in hours. Spoiler alert: it’s
extremely rare: so is iritis, episcleritis, uveitis. I’ve seen them all but I hope you never will.
When I was working in Karamoja in the 80’s, trachoma a particular eyelid infection caused by chlamydia
was extremely common. It was a chronic disease, untreated it caused scarring of the lids requiring
surgery. I operated on about 25,000 cases in 9 years, in the back of a Land Rover under a tree.
Tamarind trees were best, they weep like weeping willow and you can back right in like a green cave,
with just the right amount of soft light. Hopefully it’s now eradicated and we’ll never see it again. I mean
trachoma not tamarind trees. If they were eradicated we’d have no more Worcestershire sauce
Treatment
A typical viral conjunctivitis gets better whatever
you do. I always gave simple antibiotic eye drops
for a few days because the drops are soothing
and it prevents secondary infection. They only last
a few hours so ointment at night is a good idea.
Never self prescribe steroid drops or mixtures. Eye
drops are officially “prescription only” for a reason. I
remember a local healer who recommended omo.
I doubt he had many patients come back. If you’re
up country and no one to see, then take a selfie, I
know The Surgery doctors will be happy to look at it
and advise what you can get in a pharmacy. I don’t
think I ever saw a doctor with conjunctivitis when I
was a child. My mum used to treat us with cold tea.
A dilute solution of tannic acid. She let the pot stew,
poured it into an egg cup, we held it to the eye and
blinked. Probably useless but made mum feel better
and satisfied the need to “do something”. Seemed
to work too. When I turned 40 I needed glasses:
must have been all that tea.
Summary
Conjunctivitis is extremely common, often coming in epidemics among children. Commonly due
to adenovirus or other common cold viruses. It gets better but eye drops make it feel better and
prevent secondary infection. Other severe diseases can cause a red eye so if in doubt see a doctor,
treatment may be extremely urgent.
And the quiz? Conjunctivitis always starts on what side?
The outside.

THE SURGERY
42 Naguru Drive, Naguru, Kampala ER
Reception: +256 312 256 008 24/7 | Emergency: +256 752 756 003
Admin: +256 312 256 004
stockley@thesurgeryuganda.org | thesurgeryuganda.org
@TheSurgeryUganda (f)

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