Ugh, I HATE Conjunctivitis

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It is plowing its way through the classrooms right now. I sent four home yesterday, several last week, a teacher is out today and just sent home two more kids. Really hard to keep it contained b/c our school is small and the students are all over each other all the time.

Kidz- When you say the eye/eyes have to be goopy, do you mean you have to see the goop (like we ask to see the proof when a kid tells us they threw up?) Or, if they tell you they were goopy and stuck shut when they got up that morning? How do they get the golden ticket home?

Visible goop. If the kid has pink eye, the goop can usually be wiped off and then there will be more in a matter of minutes. Or you see the remnants of previous goop.

If the eye is sufficiently red and the student is trustworthy, I will accept their story of the eye being crusty in the morning.

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Specializes in School nursing.
Visible goop. If the kid has pink eye, the goop can usually be wiped off and then there will be more in a matter of minutes. Or you see the remnants of previous goop.

If the eye is sufficiently red and the student is trustworthy, I will accept their story of the eye being crusty in the morning.

This. Bacterial conjunctivitis will just continue to ooze right after you wipe it and the discharge is discolored. I can spot bacterial conjunctivitis the second the kid enters my office.

I've posted these before, but I use them as my guide for dismissal vs. non dismissal. Also, I do work with the older kids, so I am a little less concerned about spread there vs. spread with young elementary kids.

http://media.clinicaladvisor.com/images/2011/08/05/cme0811_cbtable1_185771.gif

http://m2.wyanokecdn.com/4619d7ddc28319006cac13e3b2596ea4.jpg

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If the eye is sufficiently red and the student is trustworthy, I will accept their story of the eye being crusty in the morning.

Last year we had pink eye spreading like wild fire through the 2nd grade! One of my favorite little ones, child of a nurse, came in with a single bright red, puffy eye- complaining that the lights hurt her eye and it had been really stuck together when she woke up. She had a paper towel on it when she came in, so no evidence of goop. I called dad and he was so mad! She had tried to convince him that she needed to stay home because of pink eye that day even thought she was fine. She had rubbed her eye enough to make it look terrible because she wanted to go home!

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Specializes in clinic, ortho/neuro, trauma, college.

My right eye started itching after reading this post!

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
My right eye started itching after reading this post!

Stop it!!!

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Specializes in School nursing.
My right eye started itching after reading this post!

Allergies. Go back to class.

;)

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Allergies. Go back to class.

;)

hahahahahahahahahha

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great

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
My right eye started itching after reading this post!

Bacterial keratitis!

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