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Infective conjunctivitis (adults + children)

A Canadian clinical summary of infective conjunctivitis (adults + children), with source-attributed priorities and explicit jurisdiction boundaries.

JurisdictionCanada
Source check2026-08-20
Clinical reviewiatroX editorial team · Clinical editorial review · reviewed 2026-08-20 · due 2027-08-20
AudienceHealthcare professionals practising in Canada
This is an iatroX educational summary of named Canada sources, not an official guideline. It does not replace the complete source documents, local policy, specialist advice or clinical judgement. British Columbia is used as an explicit Canadian implementation example, not as a national rule. Verify the equivalent pathway, formulary and escalation route in the patient’s province or territory.

British Columbia source: bounded use

Emergency Care BC supplies an exact provincial acute red-eye diagnostic and treatment summary. This page is bounded to differentiating uncomplicated conjunctivitis from sight-threatening red-eye causes; it is not a national antibiotic schedule.
sources for this section:ECBC red eye

Source-attributed clinical priorities

  • Distinguish uncomplicated conjunctivitis from keratitis, uveitis, acute glaucoma, trauma, herpes and orbital disease.
  • Use hygiene and supportive care for likely viral disease; routine antibiotics offer limited value for many uncomplicated cases.
  • Arrange urgent eye assessment for pain, photophobia, reduced vision, corneal opacity, contact-lens risk or severe purulence.
  • Purulent discharge does not remove the need to assess vision, pain, cornea and contact-lens risk.
sources for this section:ECBC red eye

Practical assessment and management workflow

1
Record unilateral or bilateral onset, discharge, itch, viral contacts, trauma and lens use.
2
Measure visual acuity and inspect pupils, cornea and pattern of redness before diagnosing simple conjunctivitis.
3
Use hygiene and supportive care for likely viral disease and local therapy only when bacterial illness warrants it.
4
Review persistent or recurrent cases for chlamydia, allergy, blepharitis or a noninfectious red eye.
sources for this section:ECBC red eye

Safety, red flags and urgent escalation

  • Reduced vision, photophobia, severe pain, corneal opacity or abnormal pupil needs urgent ophthalmology.
  • Contact-lens wearers with pain or corneal staining need same-day assessment for microbial keratitis.
  • Neonatal conjunctivitis requires urgent age-specific infectious evaluation.
sources for this section:ECBC red eye

Confirm the local pathway before acting

British Columbia is used as an explicit Canadian implementation example, not as a national rule. Verify the equivalent pathway, formulary and escalation route in the patient’s province or territory.
sources for this section:ECBC red eye

Source and implementation boundary

Read this educational summary with the linked source, current Canadian product information where medicines are involved, and the applicable provincial or territorial pathway. Local formularies, reporting duties, referral routes and service availability can differ.
sources for this section:ECBC red eye

Source documents

Use the linked source documents for complete recommendations, evidence grading, exclusions and implementation detail.

  1. Emergency Care BCRed and Painful Eye – Unilateral and Bilateral (Diagnosis and Treatment)Last reviewed 2022-12-29 · accessed 2026-08-20
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