What are the signs and symptoms of an eye infection?
An infected eye may look or feel different than usual. Early signs and symptoms of an eye infection may include:
- Red eyes.
- Itching or irritation.
- Eye pain.
- Watery eyes.
- Swelling.
Later signs and symptoms of eye infections may include:
- Discharge (yellow, sticky pus) from your eyes.
- Eyelashes that stick together because of discharge.
- Sensitivity to light (photophobia).
- Blurred vision.
- Fever.
What causes an eye infection?
You can get eye infections from bacteria, fungi (plural of fungus), parasites and viruses. These small organisms can enter your eyes in many different ways, including eye injuries.
One of the most common ways to get an eye infection is to sleep in your contact lenses. It’s also common to get an eye infection if you don’t properly clean your lenses.
What bacteria commonly cause eye infections?
Both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria can cause eye infections. Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that providers can’t see during a Gram stain test, though they’re detectable in a bacterial culture test. Gram-positive bacteria are visible in a Gram stain test. Some of the more common bacterial causes of infections in your eyes include:
- Bacillus.
- Enterobacteriaceae.
- Haemophilus influenza.
- Moraxella spp.
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa).
- Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae).
What viruses commonly cause eye infections?
- Herpes simplex type 1.
- Varicella zoster virus.
- Adenovirus.
What types of fungi cause eye infections?
Fungi belonging to the Candida species cause about 66% of endophthalmitis cases that happen after corneal transplant surgery. You might also get a fungal infection after cataract surgery.
You can get an eye infection if you have an eye injury because of an item from the outdoors, such as a stick or a plant, contaminated with Fusarium. You can also get an eye infection that happens because of a fungal bloodstream infection.
