Question

You are a medical assistant working in the office of ophthalmologist Angela Chun, MD, a member of the Fulwood Medical Group. You are communicating with Mrs. Jenny Hughes, a 30-year-old computer software consultant. She walked into the office with painful, red swollen eyelids and a sticky, purulent discharge from both eyes. One of the other medical assistants did not hold her in the reception area but brought her directly to you. Mrs. Hughes complains of a headache and photophobia, and says her eyelids were stuck together when she woke up this morning. She tells you that a couple of days earlier, she had gone into a small business office to install software at the firm’s 10 workstations. One of the employees was absent with pink eye. Mrs. Hughes wants to know if she could have contracted the disease from that employee’s keyboard, and asks how to prevent her husband and two children from getting it.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the symptoms Mrs. Hughes is experiencing?
2. What was the source of contamination for Mrs. Hughes?
3. What is the correct medical term for pink eye?
4. How can she prevent her family from getting this infection from her?

Answer 1

Ans) Symptoms:

- Headache

- Photophobia

- Eyelids stuck together

- painful, red swollen eyelids and a sticky, purulent discharge from both eyes.

Source of contamination:

- Employee with pink eye

Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane (conjunctiva) that lines your eyelid and covers the white part of your eyeball. When small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become inflamed, they're more visible.

Prevention of conjunctivitis:

- Don't touch your eyes with your hands.
Wash your hands often.
Use a clean towel and washcloth daily.
Don't share towels or washcloths.
Change your pillowcases often.
Throw away your eye cosmetics, such as mascara.
Don't share eye cosmetics or personal eye care items.