What is pinkeye?
Pinkeye which is also known as conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the eye, very common in young children. In pinkeye, there is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, a transparent layer surrounding the whites of the eye and inner eyelid. This inflammation makes the eye appear pink and thus the name. It is very common in young children but can affect older kids as well.
In this article:
Signs and Symptoms of pinkeye
Pinkeye symptoms are –
- Eye appears pink or red
- There is feeling of discomfort in the eye
- There may be a sensation of something being stuck in eye
- There may be a discharge from the eye
- Pain and swelling may be present
- Eyes may become sensitive to light
- Itchiness of eye may develop
What causes pinkeye?
There are various different reasons due to which pinkeye may develop in children. It may be infectious or noninfectious.
- Infectious pink eye develops due to an infection of a bacteria or virus in the eye. It can be solely in the eye. It can also be secondary to some other infections of the face such as sinusitis and ear infection.
- Allergic pink eye is a common non-infectious pink eye. It is caused due to an allergic reaction and is common in children who already have other allergic conditions as hay fever
- Irritant pink eye develops when the eye is irritated by an external agent such as chemicals or air pollution.
- Sometimes, pinkeye may be present in newborns due to spread of STD infection from the mother during birth.
How does pinkeye spread?
Non-infectious allergic and irritant pinkeye does not spread. Only infectious pinkeye is the kind that spreads and it is highly contagious. Bacterial pink eye can spread as long as there is eye discharge or until antibiotics have started acting while viral pink eye spreads throughout the course of disease.
Pink eye spreads through contact. When the child touches an object used or touched by an infected person or shares a contaminated cloth, swims in the same pool, pinkeye may spread. It can also spread by coughing and sneezing particles. Pink Eye can spread from one eye to eye by repeatedly touching the infected eye and then the other eye.
Treatment of pinkeye
Various types of eye drops and eye ointments are used for the treatment of pink eye depending on the causative agent.
- Lubricant eye drops are used in all types of pink eye to relieve discomfort.
- Antibiotic eye drops are used in the case of bacterial pink eye.
- Antibiotic eye ointment is also used in bacterial pink eye.
- Anti allergic eye drops are used for allergic pink eyes.
- Anti allergy pills may also be given in allergic pink eyes.
- In newborns with pink eye due to STD infection spread from mother, antibiotic eye ointment is applied immediately after birth.
When to call a doctor?
You should ensure that you follow all the medications exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If the symptoms do not improve even after 2-3 weeks, you should consult your doctor again. If there is a sudden flare up in the symptoms of redness and pain along with tenderness of eye, spread of redness around the eye and fever, you should consult your doctor immediately. This may be a sign that the infection has spread beyond the conjunctiva into other parts of eye or in the bloodstream.
