Objective
Apparently, the patient appeared active, cooperative and well developed and nourished. In fact, he showed signs of no distress. However, I took a physical assessment of various parts of his body and noted several observations. To begin with his mouth or throat, the mucus membranes were moist. The regional lymph glands were not swollen, and thus there was no any indication of tonsillar exudate. The pharynx was normal whereas the oropharynx was clear. Moreover, there was no any indication of lymphadenopathy at the cervical lymph nodes. As for the eyes, the Conjunctiva was bilaterally red with a scant watery discharge (Gordon, Huecker & Haertter, 2015).
Differential diagnosis: based on the symptoms pattern of the patient, there is a likelihood that the patient might be suffering from either scleritis or conjunctivitis. Even though this two illness are too much related in terms of the symptoms that the patients experiences. Scleritis is mostly associated with pain which is its hallmark symptom. On the contrary, conjunctivitis is not related to pain, and if in any case the patients suffering from it experiences pain then it’s on rare occasions. Moreover, scleritis is usually linked with the presence of nodules and necrosis on the eyes which is not the case with conjunctivitis. Having this differential analysis of the two probable diseases, it is critically proven that the patient is suffering from conjunctivitis (Gonzalez et al., 2013).
Basically, assessing the eye condition based on the symptoms that the patient has shown does not give the definite assurance that the patient is suffering from conjunctivitis. In order to gain assurance of the patient eye condition, I will conduct a further diagnosis by taking eye secretions samples for laboratory analysis.
Apparently, the condition heals after a period of one to two weeks. However, for a quick recovery, I would advise the patient to use either antibiotic eye drops or ointment. I would further advise the patient to maintain high hygienic standards. This includes avoiding the use of contact glasses if he is using them. Moreover, he should avoid the causative factors that expose him to related allergens ("Pink eye (conjunctivitis) - Mayo Clinic," 2016).
Reflection Notes
Notably, I discovered that eye problems present confusing symptoms, it is therefore necessary to carry out a careful differential diagnosis so as to be in a position of understanding the underlying conditions and make an informed and accurate diagnosis.
References
Gonzalez, L., de la Maza, M. S., Molina-Prat, N., Crutchik, D. R., Doctor, P., Tauber, J., & Foster, C. S. (2013). Scleritis Associated with Relapsing Polychondritis. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 54(15), 873-873.
Gordon, M. O., Huecker, J. B., & Haertter, L. (2015). Diagnostic Misclassification: An Extreme Example in Pink Eye Clinical Trials. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 56(7), 6197-6197.
Pink eye (conjunctivitis) - Mayo Clinic. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pink-eye/basics/definition/con-20022732
