Model Monday's: Diana Moldovan
What Is Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)?
Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) causes swelling, redness, and irritation in the lining of the membrane inside your eyelids. Contact lens wearers have the highest risk of developing GPC. People with an artificial eye or stitches can also be vulnerable.
GPC is a complication usually found in people who wear contact lenses. Any type of contacts can cause GPC, including soft lenses, rigid lenses, hydrogel lenses, and silicone hydrogel lenses. The first sign of the eye condition is often feeling extra sensitivity when you close your eyes, especially when you do not have your contact lenses in. It may feel like there's a foreign object inside your eye. When you lift your eyelid, there are small circular lesions anywhere from .03 to 1 mm in diameter.
Pollen or other irritants in the air can build up on your lenses and cause GPC. You can also develop GPC if foreign bodies get trapped beneath your eyelids, or you have loose stitches left in your eye after surgery.
Other factors that increase your risk of GPC include:
Taking out your contact lenses can make your symptoms more intense. That's because lid movement increases the production of substances that affect your blood vessels, including histamines. People with GPC typically have symptoms like:
Eye conditions that produce symptoms similar to GPC include:
There are no specific lab tests available for diagnosing GPC. Some doctors recommend screening a patient's tears for higher levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE). Physicians typically look at the size of the lesions beneath your eyelids and account for your history of wearing contact lenses.
They also look at how the lenses move on your eyes when you blink and examine your contact lenses for damage or eye deposit buildup.
You should see a doctor immediately if your eye irritation doesn't clear up. Untreated GPC can damage your cornea and eyelid, permanently affecting your vision.
Your doctor may ask you to remove your contact lenses for a few days or longer, giving the inside of your eyelids time to heal. Depending on the state of your eyes, your doctor may prescribe an ointment or eyedrop medicine to help with any swelling or itching. Applying cold compresses to your eyes can also provide relief from your symptoms.
Other recommendations can include changing your contact lens cleaning solution, wetting drops, or alternative lens soaking products. Changing your lens cleaning routine can cut down on the amount of build-up on your contacts. It is recommended to look for salt-based solutions versus those with preservatives. If you wear rigid contact lenses, make sure you clean them with an enzyme at least once or twice per week.
Your doctor may suggest switching to a different type of contact lens like daily disposables. Because they get thrown away after one day, your risk of developing GPC in the future decreases. Avoid any products containing hydrogen peroxide with these lenses.
If disposable contacts irritate your eyes, your doctor may recommend gas-permeable lenses. They're shaped differently from other contacts, making them less likely to rub against your eyelids.
Medications like a mast cell stabilizer/antihistamine ophthalmic solution can help with severe cases of GPC. You may also receive the treatment if you have a condition like keratoconus requiring you to continue wearing contacts. Your doctor may provide you with a short-term prescription for steroid eye drops. You shouldn't rely on them for longer than a few weeks because of the potential of developing eye complications like:
Most people can start wearing contact lenses again after receiving proper treatment.
Start getting regular eye exams, especially if you have conditions like eczema or asthma that allergies may trigger. Avoid wearing your contact lenses for longer than recommended. If pollen played a role in your GPC, stay away from grasses and trees during the pollen season. Use the air conditioner in your home and car and keep doors and windows shut as much as possible.
Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye) Directory
Pinkeye, also called conjunctivitis, is redness and swelling of the thin tissue lining the eyelids and the white part of the eye. Pinkeye is common among children, but may occur at any age. It is most often caused by a virus, which can be easily spread to other people. Other common causes of pinkeye include bacterial infection and allergies. One or both eyes may be affected. Pinkeye is usually mild and goes away within a few days with treatment. Follow the links below to find WebMD's comprehensive coverage about how pinkeye/conjunctivitis is contracted, what it looks like, how to treat it, and much more.
Medical Reference View All Video Slideshows & Images News Archive View AllCovid Officials Say New 'Arcturus' Variant Could Be Linked To Conjunctivitis
A new Covid variant that some public health officials have suggested could be linked with conjunctivitis, or pink eye, has set off minor alarms about the virus despite a continual decrease in the number of cases and deaths.
Infectious disease experts, however, say it is part of a normal trajectory for such a virus.
In late April, the Los Angeles county public health department issued an alert stating that people infected with the XBB.1.16 strain, nicknamed "Arcturus" on social media, "could be more likely to experience conjunctivitis as a symptom of their Covid infection".
The strain is likely more communicable than other recent variants, and people should "take the same sensible Covid precautions to help avoid infection", the report states.
But the variant should not prompt concerns about a return to earlier stages of the pandemic, according to infectious disease experts.
"It's like the boy who cried wolf," said Dr Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News.
"The concern is that if you cry wolf every time there is a new variant – when there is really not cause for heightened level of concern – you are going to lose credibility with the general public."
The number of Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths has steadily declined since January, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Life has also continued to gradually return to normal, with most people no longer wearing masks in public spaces.
The Arcturus strain is not a "variant of concern" because "although it's very contagious, it does not appear to be more severe" than other variants, said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
The Covid vaccines also appear to protect well against the variant, Schaffner said.
There is also greater immunity against the virus among the general population, which is the "biggest driver of changes in severity and how the virus impacts people", said Justin Lessler, an epidemiology professor at the University of North Carolina.
The new strain just appears to be part of "an evolving virus", Lessler said.
"All indications are that we are settling into a flu-like world where the virus continues and continues and continues to evolve and immune escape and that we are going to have repeated epidemics because of that," Lessler said.
With such a scenario, policymakers and the general public should have a conversation about "how much death we are willing to tolerate" and how much "to spend to prevent death and go from there", Gounder said.
"That's a value judgment; that's not an epidemiological judgment."
In the meantime, there are still helpful precautions that people can take against the virus, such as vaccines, masking and rapid tests, Lessler said.
"If you are someone, or live with someone, who is particularly high-risk, I think caution is warranted," Lessler said. "And we still have good tools to help combat it."
Comments
Post a Comment