Conjunctival Smear (Each eye) Test

The Conjunctival Smear test is used to detect and diagnose any kind of infections found in the conjunctiva (The region, which covers the front of the eye and also lines the inside of the eyelids). It can also be used to identify inflammatory issues near the conjunctiva. A smear is taken from the insides of the eyelids and used for this test. Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, a thin, a delicate membrane that covers the eyeball and lines the eyelid. Conjunctivitis is an extremely common eye problem because the conjunctiva is continually exposed to microorganisms and environmental agents that can cause infections or allergic reactions. Other names for conjunctivitis include pink eye and red eye.

No need of any special preparation for this test. The patient has to be present there in the laboratory.

This test is used to detect, identify and diagnose any infections present in the conjunctiva. Also used to deduct inflammatory issues in the conjunctiva. This test can also be useful in finding what type of conjunctivitis a patient is suffering from There are three types of conjunctivitis, they are Viral, Bacterial, and Allergic conjunctivitis. The symptoms of a Viral Conjunctive is common cold, Infection in the respiratory tract, and discharge from the eye is watery and not thick.

Bacterial Conjunctivitis occurs along with an ear infection, right after the birth of an infant, here the discharge from the eye is thicker than being watery. Allergic conjunctivitis occurs seasonally when the pollen count is high, here the patient’s eyes itches intensely. It also occurs in patients with other allergy diseases like Asthma etc.

A smear is collected from the patient’s eye by gently scraping the abnormal area. The collected smear is then immediately transferred to a glass slide which has been inside a fixative say ethanol (95%). The smear is carefully spread onto two glass slides and then again immersed into the fixative. Now, those glass slides are transferred to the laboratory for the test. If it has to be transferred to a long distance, it has to be refrigerated in a sterile container for 24 hours. Frozen samples are of no use and will not be accepted by the technicians.