Grim ‘adeno eye’ warning issued from survivors of ‘highly contagious’ virus
While, ideally, the days after the New Year celebrations should be filled with long walks in nature, setting intentions for the next 365 days and scribbling down all our 'New Year, New Me' resolutions, it's unfortunately a period where many of us are in the trenches when it comes to our health.
As if the post-Christmas hangovers, the new 'super flu' strain and general winter blues weren't enough - we've also got the 'highly contagious' adenovirus to worry about too.
As per the Cleveland Clinic, an adenovirus is the name for a group of viruses that can cause mild to severe infection throughout your body.
It most commonly affects your respiratory system and causes symptoms similar to the common cold or flu, with most infections being mild and only requiring symptom relief for treatment.
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The common symptoms associated with adenovirus include, but aren't limited to:
- Cough
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Sore throat (pharyngitis)
- Ear infection (otitis media)
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chest cold (bronchitis)
- Pneumonia
But, on top of all that, we also need to be wary of the so-called 'adeno eye', with many sufferers rushing to Reddit to share a warning to fellow social media users.
One urged: "Just keep an eye out for adeno eyes. If your eyes start to get sore, weepy with lots of clear tears, sandpaper/glass shards feeling in your eyes (even if it's just one eye), go immediately to an optometrist and get the drops. Tell them straight away that you have adenovirus so they can help you properly.
"Most GPS will give a misdiagnosis of conjunctivitis, and it makes it so much worse. It's going around currently, and I had it years ago and nearly lost my vision because it kept getting treated as conjunctivitis by the doctor when it wasn't."
Another echoed: "This is exactly how my virus started. I woke up one morning, and my eye felt like there was a piece of sand stuck in it. I ended up rubbing it until it hurt and then it was basically swollen and shot.
"I went to the optometrist, freaking out because I've got a previous autoimmune condition that can affect that same eye. The optometrist made me feel like I was overreacting. He said that I just have a bit of conjunctivitis and that it will clear itself out within a few days."
They explained that they went to the chemist for eye drops, to which they were told their issue would 'heal on its own after four days'.
"So, I didn't get the drops, and now I'm waking up every morning with lots of thick, clear discharge coming out of my eyes, so obviously there's something else going on because it's not just conjunctivitis anymore," the Redditor continued.
"I'm too sick to go to the doctors and get more medication so I've just been rinsing my eyes out with an eye wash solution."
Now, researchers have identified about 50 types of adenoviruses that can infect humans - they've been around for ages and despite the mass panic, they're actually nothing new.
And it's true, one of the most common adenovirus symptoms that's not synonymous with the flu is conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.
The NHS outlines that conjunctivitis usually affects both eyes and makes them red, burn or feel gritty, produce pus that sticks to lashes, itch and water.
It can spread through close personal contact, such as shaking hands, or the air, by coughing and sneezing, or touching an object or surface with adenoviruses on it, and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands.
Rhiannon Ingle