Will Glandular fever cause swollen and bloodshot eyes?

Question

Hello doctor,

Yesterday, I woke up with a mildly swollen and bloodshot left eye, which just got worse through the day (I was fine the previous day).

Today, I woke up, and my eye had doubled in size, accompanied by temperatures, headache, chills, and a mild sore throat. I went to the doctor and explained my symptoms, including that at work, my colleague had recently been off with glandular fever.

He checked my eyes, gave me drops, and sent me on my way. My eye is not better despite doing the drops every two hours as instructed. I still have all the other symptoms, and none are calming down.

My right eye is still absolutely fine, so after two days of swollen and watery eyes, I cannot believe this is due to conjunctivitis. I should also add that I had glandular fever when I was 16 years old.

Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

According to the history and the photo you attached (the attachment was removed to protect patient identity). There is mild lid edema, conjunctival chemosis, and congestion seen. There is also a history of glandular fever for your friend.

My top differential diagnosis would be pharyngoconjunctival fever. It is caused by an adenovirus (commonly type 3) and causes sore throat, fever, and conjunctivitis that manifests as watering, photophobia, and swelling; in some cases, there may be a rash. It is a self-limited disease. It can take one to three weeks.

Only symptomatic treatment is given. For prompt relief, apply cold compresses two to three times daily. A topical vasoconstrictor gives rapid improvement. Artificial tear drops give some relief. Prophylactic antibiotic drops are given to avoid any bacterial infection.

Sometimes an oral anti-allergic or antihistamine is helpful if there is itching. You will get this with your doctor's prescription. So do not worry; it will be alright. What you have to do is to protect everyone else. It is a viral disease and a contagious one. So your family, kids, and colleagues can get this from you. So take care of the clothing, towels, etc., so that the rest of the people are safe.

I hope it helps.

Thank you.