Greetings to all and sundry,
It is a beautiful day today and the end of the weekend, something that a lot of dread because then it means we get to go back to work and it's probably going to be another 5 days or so before we get to relax again. But it's all of life's process.
I do hope you are doing well and that you had a good weekend. This week I have been doing some health talks on the conjunctiva, we have already tackled bacteria conjunctivitis and today we would be moving to one of the popular conditions in Ghana that tends to be viral. I do hope you enjoy it.
Introduction
Apollo is a popular condition in Ghana although it is not that common, there's this misdiagnosis that a lot of patients keep doing, they attribute almost every single red eye or pink eye they see to apollo especially if it looks quite serious, and would most cases avoid such an individual. Well, the good side to that is that it helps in reducing ocular infections and it is pushing people to see an eye consult whenever they notice something similar.
The negative aspect may be the psychological effect that the patient may have to endure and have to isolate themselves. The condition known as Apollo in Ghana which is medically known as Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis came about during the time Apollo XI launched its spacecraft, the condition became an epidemic not only in Ghana but also in some parts of Africa, England and some parts of far East and so the name kinda stuck. But what exactly is Apollo?
Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis
Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis known as Apollo is an inflammatory condition of the conjunctiva where there are hemorrhages of the conjunctival vessels and the development of follicular hyperplasia as well as hyperemia.
It is a viral condition caused by an enterovirus that falls under the pico RNA viruses. This makes the condition highly contagious and it is mostly known to be transmitted via direct contact. Having physical contact with an infected person would mostly result in you getting infected should your hand get access to your eye.
The condition is quite painful and comes with a lot of watery discharge, the discharge may result in the patient experiencing some amount of blurry vision too. The patient may experience increased sensitivity to light and sometimes swelling of the eyelids.
Your Optometrist would have examined your eyes under the slit lamp with protective clothing once AHC is suspected to look for signs of congestion, hemorrhages, edema, keratitis, etc. Once it is confirmed, if the facility has a lab cotton swabs may be taken to further confirm the presence of the virus before treatment is initiated however experienced Optometrist could tell and start treatment ahead of time.
Management/Conclusion
Interestingly, the condition seems to have quite a short lifespan and is most likely to resolve on its own within five to seven days of onset however the pain and the discomfort would warrant medication and prophylactic treatment to prevent further infection.
And so most often you may be given some NSAIDs both systemic and topical to help with the pain, again, your optometrist would add some antibiotics to prevent opportunistic infection. You would have to practice safer hygiene than you may have already been doing and you may have to isolate just for a little while to reduce the chances of infecting others as the condition can easily become an epidemic when given the chance.
We must know that not all conjunctival conditions are Apollo though and thus shouldn't stigmatize every individual we see having watery red eyes until diagnosed by your optometrist just maintain safe hygiene and keep from touching your eyes.
I would end by reminding all of us that early detection not only saves lives but also sight, do not hesitate in seeing your Optometrist if you notice something wrong with the eyes, and avoid over-the-counter medication as it could prove to be fatal in some cases and do have regular checkups. Thanks for reading and for your time and I wish you a blessed week.
Further Reading
Lévêque, N., Huguet, P., Norder, H., & Chomel, J. J. (2010). Les Enterovirus responsables de conjonctivite aiguë hémorragique [Enteroviruses responsible for acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis]. Medecine et maladies infectieuses, 40(4), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medmal.2009.09.006
Wright, P. W., Strauss, G. H., & Langford, M. P. (1992). Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. American family physician, 45(1), 173–178.
Ozaki, N., & Ieki, R. (1999). Ryoikibetsu shokogun shirizu, (24 Pt 2), 145–146.
Wolken S. H. (1974). Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. Survey of ophthalmology, 19(2), 71–84.
Till now I am still trying to get the mystery why looking at someone infected with Apollo can make you to be infected also
Haha thus not true though, it can only be acquired through physical contact, patients always exaggerate 😂
Wow didn't know about this hemorrhagic part
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