Bacterial Eye Disease

Bacterial eye disease can occur when bacteria get into any part of the eyes and cause an infection. Some bacterial eye infections are potentially serious, so it's important to see your eye doctor if you have symptoms of eye infection ranging from pain or reduced vision to excessive tearing or redness and irritation.

Bacterial Conjunctivitis

• Bacteria can cause conjunctivitis (pink eye). According to All About Vision, the most common types of bacteria that cause bacterial conjunctivitis include Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Bacterial Keratitis

• Bacterial keratitis is an infection of the cornea. Symptoms include reduced vision, eye pain, increased light sensitivity and excessive tearing or discharge.

Stye

• A sty is a bump on the eyelid caused by bacteria that gets into the hair follicle of an eyelash. Staphylococcal bacteria is often the culprit, which resides in the nasal passages and is passed along by rubbing the nose and then touching the eye area.

Treatment

• The treatment for bacterial eye infections is usually topical antibiotic eye drops or ointments.

Expert Insight

• To avoid eye infections, National Eye Institute ophthalmologist Dr. Manuel Datiles says that the most important thing that you can do is make sure anything that touches your eyes is clean.