Conjunctivitis (con-junk-tiv-EYE-tis) or "pinkeye" is an inflammation of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is a clear membrane that covers the white part of the eye and the inner part of the eyelids (Picture 1).

Conjunctivitis may be caused by a virus, bacteria (germs), an allergy, or a foreign body in the eye. Conjunctivitis caused by germs is contagious. The germs are passed from one person to another by touching the child's infected eye or tears and then touching a healthy eye. 

Symptoms usually begin in one eye and may spread to the other eye. The symptoms of conjunctivitis are:

• · White part of the eye appears red or pink.
• · A feeling of sandiness or grittiness in the eye
• · A discharge of pus (white or yellow discharge) or clear fluid which is usually worse in the morning.
• · Crustiness around the eye after sleeping, or an eye that is sealed shut after sleeping.
• · Puffiness around the eyes
• · Light sensitivity

• Wipe any discharge from the eye with a clean, wet tissue. Start near the nose and wipe toward the ear. Blot the eye dry with a clean, dry tissue. Throw away the used tissues in a closed plastic bag.
• If the doctor prescribes antibiotic eye drops or ointment, apply as directed while the child has symptoms and at least 3 days after the symptoms are gone.
• Do not use the eye drops or ointment for more than 2 weeks. Do not touch the infected eye with the eye dropper or the tip of the eye ointment. This may contaminate the medicine.
• Apply cool compresses to the eyes. (Cold water on a clean washcloth works well.)
• The child may need to wear sunglasses when in the sun.

• · Frequent handwashing by all family members will help prevent the spread of conjunctivitis.
• · Do not share towels and washcloths.
• · Wash all towels and washcloths in hot, soapy water.
• · Do not share bed pillows until the infection is gone.
• · When wiping the eyes, use only unscented facial tissues that can be thrown away after each use. Do not use handkerchiefs.
• · Do not use the same tissue to wipe both eyes.
• · Do not wear eye makeup until the eyes are healed. It is best to throw away eye makeup and buy new makeup after the eyes are healed.
• · Do not wear contact lenses until the eyes are completely healed. Clean the contact lenses well with contact lens solution before you use them again.
• · Do not return to school or daycare until the prescribed eye drops have been used for at least 24 hours.

WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR
Call your child's doctor (phone) 871-8500 if any of the following occurs:

                         Strategies To Help You Quit Smoking

Decide positively that you want to quit.

List all the reasons why you want to stop. Carry these reasons with you and review them several times a day.

Determine what makes you smoke. Keep a diary to include what you are doing, your mood, the place, the time, and your intensity of cravings when you smoke. Being more aware of your triggers and cues to smoking will assist you in making other choices during your cessation attempts. Choose a quit date within the next 1 to 2 weeks.

Tell someone you are quitting and enlist his or her support. Identify your rewards for quitting smoking.

Begin thinking of what your life will be like as a nonsmoker. Reduce your caffeine intake.

Throw away all of your tobacco, lighter, ashtrays, and other

smoking-related products.

Clean your clothes, car, drapes, and furniture to rid them of

the smell of smoke.

Have your teeth cleaned to keep them free from stains.

Stay away from other tobacco users and other tempting situations (i.e., alcohol).

Do something special that you've been putting off. It will

help you associate positive feelings with quitting.

Spend more time with friends who do not smoke.

Find activities that make smoking difficult (e.g., gardening,

exercising, washing the car).

Keep oral substitutes handy. Try carrots, sunflower seeds,

sugarless gum, straws, toothpicks, or apples.

Change your daily routine to break your old habits. Distract yourself from thoughts of smoking by talking to

someone, reading, or doing a task.

Use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, or

exercising.

Research supports that almost everyone can benefit from

using nicotine replacement.

If you are pregnant or have heart or blood vessel problems, consult your health care provider before using nicotine replacement.

Your health care provider can help you choose the most appropriate form of nicotine replacement.

What should I do if I relapse and begin smoking again? Stop smoking immediately. Get rid of all tobacco products.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Get yourself back on track as soon as possible.

Realize that most people try several times before they successfully quit.

Identify your triggers that led you to smoking again and 

learn from your past mistakes.

Set a new quit date and begin again.

Cigarette smoking is the chief preventable cause of death and illness in the United States. Smokers can expect a reduction in their life expectancy by an average of 7 years.

2x greater risk of strokes

6x greater risk of oral cancers

1 Ox greater risk of larynx cancer

1 Ox greater risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Esophageal cancer

Bladder and kidney cancer                                                    

Pancreatic cancer

Leukemia                                                              

Gastric and duodenal ulcers

Skin wrinkling

Osteoporosis

Bone fractures

Cataracts and glaucoma

Impotence and infertility

Lower levels of "good cholesterol"

Peripheral vascular disease

Gum disease

Dental cavities

Stained teeth and bad breath

Financial burden

Poor tolerance for exercise

Social unacceptability

Poor role model for children and grandchildren

Risks Factors for Family Members (from exposure to

Increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, ear infections, and respiratory infections in children

REWARDS FROM QUITTING SMOKING

Blood pressure lowers

Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal

Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

Breath, car, and home smell better

Food smells and tastes better

Circulation improves

Lung function improves

Risks of gastric and duodenal ulcers decrease

Risks of peripheral artery disease decrease

Financial savings

Feel better about yourself

Can stop worrying about quitting

Loved ones "off your back" about smoking

Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of

breath decrease

Decreased risk of recurrent respiratory infections Body's overall energy increases

After 1 year, excess risk of heart disease half

that of a smoker

Financial savings

Improved health

Long Term

After 5 years, lung cancer death rate decreases by

almost half

After 5 years, risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and

esophagus is half that of a smoker

After 5 to 15 years, stroke risk is reduced to that of

a nonsmoker

After 10 years, lung cancer death rate similar to that of a

nonsmoker

After 15 years, risk of coronary heart disease is that

of a nonsmoker

Set good role model for children and grandchildren No worries about exposing loved ones to passive smoke Overall improved health Financial savings

THE DEDGER JONES CENTER 4627 Executive Drive (corner of Old Henderson Road~ Columbus, Ohio 43220 {614) 457-4570  1-800-592-8563

WHO IS THE PASSIVE, OR INVOLUNTARY, SMOKER? The non-smoker who works, dines, shops, travels, or lives with a smoker. Fewer than one in three Americans smoke, but a high percentage of our population breathes smoke passively on a daily basis. Many of these Involuntary smokers are children.

WHAT IS PASSIVE SMOKE? It Is a combination of second-hand smoke exhaled by the smoker and sidestream smoke from the burning end of the cigarette. While the smoker puffs mainstream smoke at intervals through the cigarette mouthpiece, the burning end pollutes the environment continuously for approximately 12 minutes per cigarette.

--More than 3,000 toxic substances are present in cigarette smoke. Of greatest concern are tar, a carcinogen; nicotine, an addictive drug; and carbon monoxide, which drives oxygen from the bloodstream and is linked to heart disease. Other harmful chemical compounds Include ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfine and hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen dioxide, pyridine and cadmium.

--Surprisingly, sidestream smoke has a much higher concentration of noxious chemicals than mainstream: twice the tar, three times the benzene, five times the carbon monoxide, and fifty times the ammonia.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF PASSIVE SMOKING: After only a half hour In a smoke-filled environment, heartbeat and blood pressure levels are elevated. Eye, nose and throat irritation, cough and headache are common reactions; many people are allergic to cigarette smoke and experience Immediate eye and respiratory tract symptoms. Performance on psychomotor functions becomes impaired, as does response time when driving.

--Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.O., Issued this warning in 1987: "Involuntary smoking is a cause of disease, Including lung cancer, in healthy non-smokers; the children of parents who smoke have an Increased frequency of respiratory symptoms, and slightly smaller rates of Increase In lung function as the lung matures; the simple separation of smokers and non-smokers within the same air space may reduce, but does not eliminate the exposure of non-smokers to environmental tobacco smoke."

--The risk of lung cancer is roughly 30% higher for non-smoking spouses of smokers than for non-smoking spouses of non-smokers. The lung cancer risk is double for non-smoking women whose husbands smoke 20 cigarettes a day at homey Non-smoking wives of current smokers are also 3-4 times more Iikely to suffer heart attacks than wives of men who never smoked, and nearly twice as prone to heart attacks as wives of men who formerly smoked.

--Respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing and sputum production, are increased about 20 to 80 percent In children of smoking parents.

--Non-smokers who work near a smoker for an extended period of time can expect a loss of lung function equal to that of a 1/2-pack-a-day smoker.

--Hiring non-smokers and encouraging smoking employees to kick the habit are steps which benefit employers. Smokers have a 35-45~ higher absenteeism rate as compared to non-smokers; each year more than 80 million work days are lost due to smoking. Smokers cost companies billions of dollars annually --their higher absence rates, medical claims and accidents on the Job lead to higher medical care and Insurance rates, lost wages and production, fires and premature deaths.

HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE EFFECTS OF PASSIVE SMOKE?

--You have the choice to breathe clean/air. Request seating in non-smoking areas of restaurants, airlines, trains and buses. Support voluntary efforts to restrict smoking or establish smoke-free areas In public places and In your workplace.

--You have the right to speak out. Tell family, friends, co-workers -- even strangers -- that you mind if they smoke. Be firm but polite; use stickers, buttons and signs to bring this Issue to public attention.

--You have the right to act. Contact your Central Ohio Lung Association for information on our programs to help provide a smoke-free environment.

**Central Ohio Lung Association (COLA) provides self-hypnosis clinics and small-group smoking cessation classes in the workplace. COLA also offers assistance to employers in establishing workplace smoking policy. Call! Connie Willbarger, Director of Smoking Cessation Services, at 457-4570 in Franklin County or to!I-free 1-800'552'8563 throughout Ohio.