Pink eyes are caused when the tissue protecting the inner surface of your eyelids and the outer coating of your eyes is inflamed. There are three types of conjunctivitis. Since the causes of each pink eye are different from one other, their treatments vary as well.
1. Allergic Conjunctivitis
This conjunctivitis is commonly caused by allergens or irritants like pollen, animal fur or other foreign particles. If you are allergic to any such thing, removing them from your environment makes the condition better.
Treatment:
If someone has developed allergic conjunctivitis, doctors will mostly provide antiallergic medicines along with some topical drops. Some may also provide multiple combinations of medicines to improve your condition.
2. Viral Conjunctivitis
A pink eye disease that occurs due to a viral infection is generally mild. Most of them do not even require any medical treatment. Moreover, depending on its severity, the infection gets cleared up in two to four weeks.
Treatment:
Conjunctivitis, which is caused by the herpes simplex virus or varicella-zoster virus, does need certain antiviral medicines. You must always remember that antibiotics will never help in this condition. So, ensure you only take the medication prescribed to you.
3. Bacterial Conjunctivitis
If your doctors detect mild bacterial conjunctivitis, you might not need any medication. These infections take at least 5 days to 2 weeks to completely clear out.
Treatment:
Similar to viral conjunctivitis, the doctor will prescribe certain antibiotics along with topical eye drops. Depending on the type of infection, they can also replace drops with ointment. However, antibiotics are only prescribed when someone suffers from the following condition.
- Discharge or pus in the eyes.
- Someone who has a compromised immune system gets bacterial pink eyes.
- Lastly, if they suspect any specific bacteria.
For those who were searching for answers regarding the 'meaning of pink eye', this blog will help clarify your doubts. To sum it up, it is an infectious disease that can occur due to many causes and is contagious.
However, this is not a chronic disease and generally clears out within a week or two. If you or your kids are suffering from pink eye disease, make sure to follow the preventive methods to control spreading it further.