What are the complications of ophthalmia neonatorum?
If left untreated, babies are at high risk of developing corneal ulceration, ocular globe perforation, and permanent blindness. In rare cases, there have been reports of the spread of disease, and meningitis, sepsis, and even death may result.
What is the most common cause of ophthalmia neonatorum?
Chlamydia is the most common infectious agent that causes ophthalmia neonatorum in the United States, where 2%-40% of neonatal conjunctivitis cases are caused by Chlamydia.
What is ophthalmia neonatorum and what causes it?
The definition of Ophthalmia Neonatorum (conjunctivitis of the newborn) is an eye infection that occurs within the first 30 days of life. It is caught during birth by contact with the mother’s birth canal that is infected with a sexually-transmitted disease. The infection may be bacterial, chlamydial or viral.
What is the complication of neonatal conjunctivitis?
Ocular complications of neonatal conjunctivitis include pseudomembrane formation, corneal edema, thickened palpebral conjunctivia, peripheral pannus formation, corneal opacification, staphyloma, corneal perforation, endophthalmitis, loss of eye, and blindness.
What are the ophthalmia neonatorum?
Ophthalmia neonatorum (ON), also called neonatal conjunctivitis, is an acute, mucopurulent infection occurring in the first 4 weeks of life,2 affecting 1.6% to 12% of all newborns,3,4 caused by chemical, bacterial, or viral processes.
What is the ophthalmia neonatorum?
What are the prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum?
More effective means of preventing ophthalmia neonatorum include screening all pregnant women for gonorrhea and chlamydia infection, and treatment and follow-up of those found to be infected. Mothers who were not screened should be tested at delivery.
What is meant by ophthalmia neonatorum?
PIP: Ophthalmia neonatorum is defined as any conjunctivitis with discharge from the eyes during the first 28 days of life. Its etiology may be gonococcal or nongonococcal, Chlamydia trachomatis being the most important cause in the latter group.