Unilateral watery discharge from the eye of a new born, with no edema or chemosis is due to:
High-Yield Explanation
D i.e. Chemical conjunctivitis Here the neonate has Ophthalmia Neonatorum. Early presentation of discharge may be due to Gonococcus Q or Chemical Conjunctivitis Q, but Gonococcus is almost always B/L so the answer here is Chemical Conjunctivitis. In the past, if a maternal infection was suspected a drop of silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution 1% Q was instilled into each eye (Crede's method) to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum. Chemical conjunctivitis used to be seen with in a few hours of prophylactic topical treatment with AgNO3, and disappeared spontaneously in 24-36 hours. It is diagnosed by watery discharge with absence of chemosis and edema Q, which indicate towards infective pathology. Opthalmia Neonatorum It is neonatal conjunctivitis of one or both eyes in first month of life. It is a preventable disease occurring in a new-born child due to maternal infection acquired at the time of bih and used to be responsible for 50% of blindness among children. Any 1 week" v:shapes="_x0000_s1028">discharge, even a watery secretion, from a baby's eye during the first week should be viewed with suspicion, since tears are not secreted so early in life. Aetiological differential diagnosis includes