
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, usually given topically as eye drops or ointment, for bacterial conjunctivitis. It often improves in 2 to 5 days without treatment but can take 2 weeks to go away completely. Mild bacterial conjunctivitis may get better without antibiotic treatment and without causing any complications. Antibiotics will not improve viral conjunctivitis these drugs are not effective against viruses. For example, conjunctivitis caused by herpes simplex virus or varicella-zoster virus. However, in some cases, viral conjunctivitis can take 2 to 3 weeks or more to clear up.Ī doctor can prescribe antiviral medication to treat more serious forms of conjunctivitis. The infection will usually clear up in 7 to 14 days without treatment and without any long-term consequences. Most cases of viral conjunctivitis are mild. Newborns with symptoms of conjunctivitis should be seen by a doctor right away.

At the final visit patients were asked which treatment regimen they preferred.Ĭold compresses were found to be a comparable treatment alternative to artificial tears for dry eye patients.Ĭold compresses may be a viable alternative to artificial tears for dry eye patients. The second group was given the same instructions, except that they started with cold compresses for the first month and switched to artificial tears for the second month. The OSDI score and clinical examination were re-evaluated at one and two month follow-up visits.

One was instructed to use artificial tears 3 times per day for one month, then switch to cold compresses, 3 times a day for 30 seconds at a time, for one month. The patients were randomized to two groups. The level of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), epithelial erosions, tear break-up time (TBUT), and Schirmer testing were recorded. Symptoms were evaluated using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score. The purpose of this study is to compare the use of artificial tears and cool compresses for the treatment of dry eye syndrome.Ī total of 30 consecutive patients with dry eye were enrolled.
