Conjunctivitis

Specialties School

Published

Specializes in keeper of tiny humans.

Elementary of 200+ kids. Saw way too many with pink, itchy, burning, watery eyes today. I need alcohol, for sanitary purposes and as a beverage.

What's your protocol for conjunctivitis? Return after 24hrs on Rx or until they're sx free? Also, when should I start panicking?!

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Our protocol is 24 hrs on abx. As a school nurse, I follow that pretty well. When I used to work in a peds clinic the docs hated that, they said most conjunctivitis is viral anyway.

Since we have written policy, if I tried to keep them out longer, parents would have an absolute fit.

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Specializes in school/military/OR/home health.

Ours is 24 on abx as well. Do I get compliance from parents? Noooo...

Symptom free would mean an empty kindergarten.

I do see a crap-ton of pink/red/watery/itchy eyes during allergy season, and have found that a cotton ball, soaked in water then frozen, does wonders for those kiddos. Just as an aside ;)

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Our policy depends on symptoms: if it appears to be viral in nature (essentially if there is no purulent drainage) we don't exclude. If pus is present then the kids can't come back until they've been on drops for 24 hours.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Twenty four hours on antibiotics. Right now it is mostly sinuses, clear exudate and bilateral redness.

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Specializes in keeper of tiny humans.

I will definitely have to remember the cotton ball trick! I'm having a difficult time, like many of you from what I've collected in these forums, with teachers freaking about about allergies vs conjunctivitis. Right now, their concerns are valid. Several of gooey eyes in my building. :snurse:

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I have had recurrent conjunctivitis. ME!!!

I haven't had this in years.

I'm telling you. This is a bad season.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
I have had recurrent conjunctivitis. ME!!!

I haven't had this in years.

I'm telling you. This is a bad season.

Looking for love in all the wrong places?:sarcastic:

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Our district policy is any Signs or Symptoms of an eye infection is grounds for sending home. Students are unable to return to school without a doctor's note stating they are able to return to school. We have a handout we give parents for vomiting, eye infections, diarrhea, lice, rashes and fever explaining when they are allowed to come back to school and under what conditions, as well as why they are being sent home.

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..

Just pulled out the page from the Missouri manual for communicable diseases in schools. It says "Exclude if there is thick white or yellow drainage and eye pain. The child should be excluded until appropriate treatment has been initiated or the discharge from the eyes has stopped unless dr. has diagnosed a non-infectious conjunctivitis"

No exclusion -- if eye drainage is clear and watery and the child has no eye pain.

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Looking for love in all the wrong places?:sarcastic:

Ha!

I wish my life was this intriguing.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
Ha!

I wish my life was this intriguing.

That's right, we leave that to those teachers.

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