Pink Eye Disease: Overview, Causes and Treatment

If you ever notice redness and a fluid discharge from your eyes, it is likely that you have pink eye disease. This is a common eye infection that can affect children and adults both. Allergens, viruses and bacteria can cause pink eyes or conjunctivitis.

Thankfully, this infection does not last for a very long time, and its treatment also varies from person to person. To learn more about what pink eye is and how to treat this condition, keep reading this blog till the end.

The condition when you see an inflammation in the eyes is termed conjunctivitis. Its name suggests the main area of infection, called the 'conjunctiva'. This is a clear tissue inside your eyelids and the outer coating of your eyes. The purpose of this tissue is to keep your eyes moist.

This disease is called pink eyes because when the eyes get inflamed, it makes the white portion of your eyes bloodshot. Pink eye disease is very common and contagious. In most cases, children get affected by them first and spread the infection to adults in their house.

Some of the common symptoms of pink eye include:

• Redness in the white portion of an eye or beneath eyelids
• Continuous tearing from the infected eye
• Green or white discharge from your eyes
• Feeling itchy or irritated in one or both eyes
• Burning sensation in the eyes if the infection is caused due to chemicals and irritants
• Swollen eyelids due to inflammation
• Sensitivity to light
• Blurry vision
• Crusting over eyelids after waking up
• Contact lenses feel uncomfortable as they do not stay in place

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.

Diagnosing a pink eye is dependent on some specific factors. Most pink eye symptoms look similar, like red eyes, tearing up, swelling etc.

There are situations when it is not even possible for a healthcare professional to firmly diagnose the symptoms without testing them. Nonetheless, these situations are very rare.

Below mentioned are the causes that can determine what kind of conjunctivitis it is.

1. Allergic Conjunctivitis

The pink eye cause is likely to be allergic if the patient has any of the following signs.

• Patients suffering from intense itchiness
• Conjunctivitis occurs during season changes when pollen counts are high
• Pink eye disease is paired with other allergic diseases like hay fever, eczema, or asthma.

2. Viral Conjunctivitis

Signs of pink eyes that doctors look for when the condition is viral are the following.

• Pink eyes are accompanied by a common cold or infection in the respiratory tract.
• Watery discharge from eyes

3. Bacterial Conjunctivitis

Doctors may look for the following signs to conclude diagnosing someone with a bacterial infection.

• Occur after being born
• Conjunctivitis has occurred with an ear infection
• Thicker discharge from infected eyes

As mentioned earlier, pink eyes are extremely contagious, but only if you have viral or bacterial ones. So, to prevent it from spreading, you can follow these easy tips and maintain your hygiene.

• Before applying any ointment or drops to your eyes, you must wash your hands, preferably with soap and warm water.
• Suppose you are out and need to apply drops or ointment to your eyes but have no access to clean water and soap. In such a condition, clean your hands with sanitizer.
• Refrain yourself from continuously touching your face or eyes.
• Clean any discharge with clean hands, a wet cloth or cotton balls. After using them, immediately dispose of them and wash your hands again.
• Those who wear contact lenses should stop wearing them until their doctor gives them a green signal.
• You must wash your pillowcases, towels, sheets and washcloths at regular intervals with hot water and detergent.
• Ensure not contaminating items which are shared among you and your family. For example, towels, pillows etc.
• Remember not to use the same eye drop dispenser for both infected and non-infected eyes.
• Always wear clean glasses.
• As per your doctor’s recommendation, clean, replace or dispose of your contact lens.
• You also need to avoid swimming for some time.
• Do not share any personal items like eye drops, pillows, towels, makeup accessories, contact lens storage boxes and your glasses or goggles.