Can you get Chlamydia in your eyes?

Yes. Chlamydia most often infects the genitals, but it can also infect the bottom (rectum), the throat and the eyes. An eye infection is called Chlamydial conjunctivitis.

Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed STI in England, making up almost half of all new STI diagnoses in 2025. The good news is that an eye infection usually clears up fully with the right antibiotics.

Chlamydia spreads to the eyes when infected semen or vaginal fluid gets into them. This can happen:

• During sex, if semen or vaginal fluid gets into your eye.
• If you touch your own or a partner’s genitals, or a sex toy, and then touch your eye.
• During birth, if the mother has Chlamydia.

If you already have Chlamydia in your genitals, you can carry it to your own eye on your hands, without realising.

Chlamydial conjunctivitis looks a lot like other types of conjunctivitis, especially viral conjunctivitis, so it can be hard to tell apart. It usually affects one eye rather than both. Symptoms can include:

• A red eye.
• Pain or soreness.
• Discharge or pus that makes your eyelashes stick together.
• A gritty, burning or itchy feeling.
• Watery eyes.

The NHS says conjunctivitis caused by an STI takes longer to get better than other types. Most people with Chlamydia in their genitals have no symptoms, so you may not have noticed anything else. Read more in “Understanding the differences between viral and bacterial conjunctivitis”

Call 999 or get urgent medical help if you have a red eye and it hurts to look at light, or your sight changes, such as wavy lines, flashing or loss of vision.

Get urgent medical advice if your eye is very painful and red, or if you have a red eye and wear contact lenses, as you could have an eye infection. Don’t wear contact lenses until your eyes are better.

Yes. If you have Chlamydia when you’re pregnant, it can pass to your baby during birth. This can cause an eye infection (conjunctivitis) or a lung infection (pneumonia), which can be treated with antibiotics.

In babies, eye symptoms usually start 5 to 12 days after birth. Get urgent medical advice if a newborn baby has red, sticky eyes. Gonorrhoea can also pass to a baby’s eyes during birth and can cause blindness if it isn’t treated, so testing during pregnancy matters.

No. Trachoma is a different eye infection, caused by other strains of the same bacteria. It spreads through discharge from the eyes and nose, on hands, clothes, bedding and flies, mostly among young children in places where it’s common. It isn’t sexually transmitted.

Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. Chlamydial conjunctivitis caught through sex is different, and it usually clears up fully with treatment.

A doctor can diagnose Chlamydial conjunctivitis with a swab from your eye. Up to 8 in 10 people with Chlamydia in the eye also have it in their genitals, so UK guidelines recommend antibiotic tablets rather than eye drops, usually doxycycline for 7 days.

To stop the infection coming back or spreading:

• Avoid sex until you and your partner have finished treatment and your symptoms have gone.
• Make sure recent partners get tested and treated.
• Get tested for other STIs, including HIV.

Read more in “Can Chlamydia go away on its own?”

You can lower your risk of an eye infection if you:

• Use condoms or dental dams during sex.
• Try not to get semen or vaginal fluid near your eyes.
• Wash your hands after sex, or after touching your genitals or sex toys, before you touch your eyes or contact lenses.
• Get tested for STIs once a year, and when you have a new partner.

Better2Know doesn’t offer eye tests, so if you have eye symptoms, see a doctor. But many people with Chlamydia in the eye also have a genital infection, so it’s worth getting tested. Better2Know offers:

• Chlamydia home test: tests a urine sample for Chlamydia from 14 days after sex, with results in 2 days.
• Peace of Mind: tests for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis from 14 days after sex, with results in 2 days. You can book it at one of our clinics or order a home test.
• Full Screen: tests for 7 infections, including HIV, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, from 28 days after sex, with results in 3 days (5 days for the home test).

If you test before 45 days, a negative HIV result needs a repeat test. A Syphilis test in the first 3 months after sex can miss the infection, so you may need a repeat test. Not sure which test you need? Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Can other STIs affect your eyes?

Yes. Gonorrhoea can cause an eye infection called gonococcal conjunctivitis if you touch your eyes after touching infected fluid, and the Herpes virus can infect the eye too. Read more in “Which STIs cause conjunctivitis?” and “Can you get Herpes in your eye? Symptoms, causes and treatment”

Can I treat it with eye drops?

Not on their own. Eye drops won’t clear Chlamydia from the rest of your body, so UK guidelines recommend antibiotic tablets.

How long does it last?

The NHS says conjunctivitis caused by an STI takes longer to get better than other types. With the right antibiotics, it usually clears up without any lasting damage.

Chlamydia can infect your eyes, usually when infected semen or vaginal fluid gets into them. It’s easy to treat with antibiotic tablets, so see a doctor about a red, painful or sticky eye, and get tested for a genital infection too.

Book a Peace of Mind test at a clinic near you or order a home test kit. Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Not in the UK? Choose your country from the selector at the top of the page for local tests and prices.

This article originally appeared on 14 April 2023 and was last updated on 1 October 2026.

This article is general information and not a substitute for personal medical advice.

Sources

1. NHS, Chlamydia, reviewed 24 October 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chlamydia/
2. NHS, Conjunctivitis, reviewed 23 April 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/conjunctivitis/
3. NHS, Red eye, reviewed 27 October 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/red-eye/
4. NHS, Gonorrhoea, reviewed 16 December 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gonorrhoea/
5. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, UK national guideline for the management of infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, 2026. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/national_guideline_for_the_management_of_infection_chlamydia_trachomatis_2026.pdf
6. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, Chlamydia patient information leaflet, July 2026. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/chlamydia_pil_print_a4_02.pdf
7. Brook, Chlamydia symptoms, tests and treatments, updated 30 September 2026. https://www.brook.org.uk/your-life/chlamydia/
8. UK Health Security Agency, Sexually transmitted infections and screening for chlamydia in England: 2025 report, 2 June 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables/sexually-transmitted-infections-and-screening-for-chlamydia-in-england-2025-report
9. World Health Organization, Trachoma, 7 September 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/trachoma
10. World Health Organization, Chlamydia, 21 November 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chlamydia
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chlamydial infections, STI treatment guidelines, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/chlamydia.htm
12. British HIV Association, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and British Infection Association, Adult HIV testing guidelines, 2020. https://bhiva.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/HIV-testing-guidelines-2020.pdf
13. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, UK guidelines for the management of syphilis, 2024. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/syphilis_2024.pdf