Conjunctivitis, while not life threatening, is a socially-inhibiting condition because problems with the eyes make us feel uncomfortable in company.

Classic symptoms of conjunctivitis

The symptoms include,

* Eyelids stuck shut when you wake up in the morning (classic symptom)
* Uncomfortable, thick yellow or green discharge (often a bacterial infection)
* Thin, clear drainage from the eye (often a viral infection or an allergic reaction)
* Itching, burning, or feels like sand in your eye (often a viral infection or an allergic reaction).

Here’s a quick sideways treatment :

1. Boil up a couple of pints of water, then allow to cool. Add one tablespoon of boric acid — which you should be able to get from most pharmacies.

2. Dip some cotton-wool in the liquid and gently rinse the eye.

3. Brew up some camomile tea bags — camomile has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Allow to cool.

4. Place the still-moist bags on each closed eye for 10 minutes. Repeat every two hours.

This procedure should alleviate the condition without the use of drugs or mercury-based ointments.