Pink eye - Q&A page

Pink eye, medically known as conjunctivitis, is an eye condition in which the clear membranous tissue over the white part of your eye or the pink part of your eye is inflamed.

What are the causes of pink eye?

There can be various causes for your pink eye:

• Viral conjunctivitis
• Bacterial conjunctivitis
• Allergic conjunctivitis 

Some more severe cases of your pink eye can be due to the following diseases:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Herpes simplex virus

What are the most common symptoms of pink eye ?

Viral conjunctivitis is the most common type and unfortunately the most contagious. You might experience the following symptoms if you have viral conjunctivitis:

• Red irritated eyes along with a lot of watery discharge
• Swelling 
• Blurry vision
• A feeling of a foreign particle in the eye
• Sensitivity to brightness or light

In the event that you have a bacterial conjunctivitis, you might experience the following symptoms: 

• Mucus, pus like discharge
• Crusting around your eyes

If you have allergic conjunctivitis, you might experience the following symptoms:

• Both eyes would be affected
• Constantly itchy eyes

Should contact lenses be thrown out if I have pink eye?

It is recommended to throw out all disposable lenses that were worn by the individual before or during the illness. You should, however, clean your hard lenses well before reusing them.

A person suffering from pink eye will not be able to use contact lenses while experiencing redness, itching, or a watery discharge. By using sterile contact lens solutions and storing your contact lenses carefully, you can avoid eye infections.

How is pink eye treated?

Treatment for pink eye will depend on the cause of your pink eye.
For Viral Conjunctivitis treatment includes using copious amounts of artificial tears and, depending on your severity, you may also be prescribed a low dosage steroid. 

For Bacterial Conjunctivitis antibiotic eye drops are prescribed. 

Treatment for allergic conjunctivitis usually involves prescribing anti-allergy eye drops, copious use of artificial tears, and the application of cool compresses. Again, depending on the severity of your symptoms, your eye doctor may prescribe a low dose steroid as well.

What should you do if you have pink eye?

Pink eye can be very contagious if you have the viral or bacterial form. Therefore, it's really important to do the following:

 Schedule an emergency eye exam at our office to make sure that you have the proper medication and treatment regimen in place

• Maintain proper hygiene
• Constantly wash your hands
• Stay out of your contact lenses until the symptoms clear
• Don't use any eye makeup
• Try to change your bedsheets
• Don't share your towels with anyone
• Stay out of school or work for a few days to ensure that you don't infect someone else. 

Make sure you visit your eye doctor today if you have any form of pinkeye so that you can receive the proper diagnosis, treatment, and management course. Call our office at (212) 752-6930 to schedule an emergency eye exam.