What Is Conjunctivitis?
2. Statistics
Conjunctivitis is a very common condition affecting the eye. The rate of the disease depends on the age, time of the year, and underlying cause. In infants, young children (of school age), and the elderly, acute conjunctivitis is very common. Viral conjunctivitis is the commonest cause of infectious conjunctivitis.
In the United States, acute conjunctivitis is estimated to affect 6 million individuals every year. Different forms of conjunctivitis may have seasonal trends. In bacterial conjunctivitis, the incidence peaks from the months of December to April with viral conjunctivitis peaking during the summer, while allergic conjunctivitis is more common in spring and summer. As with any common condition, conjunctivitis can have a large impact on both economic and social burdens. For example, treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis is estimated to cost between $377 million to $857 million annually.
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