Bacterial |
Hyperacute (purulent) |
Neisseria gonorrhoeae |
Neisseria meningitidis |
Neisseria gonorrhoeae subspecies kochii |
Acute (mucopurulent) |
Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) (temperate climates) |
Haemophilus aegyptius (Koch-Weeks bacillus) (tropical climates) |
Subacute |
Haemophilus influenzae (temperate climates) |
Chronic, including blepharoconjunctivitis |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Moraxella lacunata (diplobacillus of Morax-Axenfeld) |
Rare types (acute, subacute, chronic) |
Streptococci |
Moraxella catarrhalis |
Coliforms |
Proteus |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae |
Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
Chlamydial |
Trachoma (C trachomatis serovars A–C) |
Inclusion conjunctivitis (C trachomatis serovars D–K) |
Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) (C trachomatis serovars L1–3) |
Viral |
Acute viral follicular conjunctivitis |
Pharyngoconjunctival fever due to adenoviruses types 3 and 7 and other serotypes |
Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis due to adenovirus types 8 and 19 |
Herpes simplex virus |
Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis due to enterovirus type 70; rarely, coxsackievirus type A24 |
Chronic viral follicular conjunctivitis |
Molluscum contagiosum virus |
Viral blepharoconjunctivitis |
Varicella, herpes zoster due to varicella-zoster virus |
Measles virus |
Rickettsial (rare) |
Nonpurulent conjunctivitis with hyperemia and minimal infiltration, often a feature of rickettsial diseases |
Typhus |
Murine typhus |
Scrub typhus |
Rocky Mountain spotted fever |
Mediterranean fever |
Q fever |
Fungal (rare) |
Ulcerative or granulomatous |
Candida |
Granulomatous |
Rhinosporidium seeberi |
Coccidioides immitis (San Joaquin Valley fever) |
Sporothrix schenckii |
Parasitic (rare but important) |
Chronic conjunctivitis and blepharoconjunctivitis |
Thelazia californiensis |
Loa loa |
Ascaris lumbricoides |
Trichinella spiralis |
Schistosoma haematobium (bladder fluke) |
Taenia solium (cysticercus) |
Pthirus pubis (Pediculus pubis, public louse) |
Fly larvae (Oestrus ovis, etc) (ocular myiasis) |
Immunologic (allergic) |
Immediate (humoral) hypersensitivity reactions |
Hay fever conjunctivitis (pollens, grasses, animal danders, etc) |
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis |
Atopic keratoconjunctivitis |
Giant papillary conjunctivitis |
Delayed (cellular) hypersensitivity reactions |
Phylctenulosis |
Mild conjunctivitis secondary to contact blepharitis |
Autoimmune disease |
Primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome |
Mucous membrane pemphigoid |
Chemical or irritative |
Latrogenic |
Idoxuridine, brimonidine, apraclonidine, dipivefrin, and other topically applied drugs |
Preservatives in eye drops |
Contact lens solutions, particularly their preservatives |
Occupational |
Acids |
Alkalies |
Smoke |
Wind |
Ultraviolet light |
Caterpillar hair |
Etiology unknown |
Folliculosis |
Chronic follicular conjunctivitis (Orphan's conjunctivitis, Axenfeld's conjunctivitis) |
Ocular rosacea |
Psoriasis |
Stevens–Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and erythema multiforme |
Dermatitis herpetiformis |
Epidermolysis bullosa |
Superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis |
Ligneous conjunctivitis |
Reiter's syndrome |
Mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (Kawasaki disease) |
Associated with systemic disease |
Thyroid disease (exposure, congestive) |
Gouty conjunctivitis |
Carcinoid conjunctivitis |
Sarcoidosis |
Tuberculosis |
Syphilis |
Secondary to dacryocystitis or canaliculitis |
Conjunctivitis secondary to dacryocystitis pneumococci or beta-hemolytic streptococci |
Conjunctivitis secondary to canaliculitis Actinomyces israelii, Candida species Aspergillus species (rarely) |