effectiveness against bacterial and chlamydial conjunctivitis, with a possible role suggested in locations where topical antibiotics are unavailable or costly. chemical conjunctivitis due to chemicals is treated via irrigation with ringer's lactate or saline solution. chemical injuries, particularly alkali burns, are medical emergencies, as they can lead to severe scarring and intraocular damage. people with chemically induced conjunctivitis should not touch their eyes to avoid spreading the chemical. epidemiology conjunctivitis is the most common eye disease. rates of disease is related to the underlying cause which varies by the age as well as the time of year. acute conjunctivitis is most frequently found in infants, school-age children and the elderly. the most common cause of infectious conjunctivitis is viral conjunctivitis. it is estimated that acute conjunctivitis affects 6 million people annually in the united states. some seasonal trends have been observed for the occurrence of different forms of conjunctivitis. in the northern hemisphere, the occurrence of bacterial conjunctivitis peaks from december to april, viral conjunctivitis peaks in the summer months and allergic conjunctivitis is more prevalent throughout the spring and summer. history an adenovirus was first isolated by rowe et al. in 1953. two years later, jawetz et al. published on epidemic keratoconjunctivitis.: 437 "madras eye" is a colloquial term that has been used in india for the disease. society and culture conjunctivitis imposes economic and social burdens. the cost of treating bacterial conjunctivitis in the united states was estimated to be $377 million to $857 million per year. approximately 1% of all primary care office visits in the united states are related to conjunctivitis. approximately 70% of all people with acute conjunctivitis present to primary care and urgent care.