Pink Eye Symptoms And Treatment

In this article, learn how to recognize pink eye, what treatments are available, and what precautions you should take to avoid spreading this eye infection to other people.

Pink eye?

The medical term for this eye condition is conjunctivitis. Because of the irritation and inflammation, the white part of your eye turns pink, giving pink eye its name. The underlying eyeball would be white and uninflamed if you could remove the inflamed layer.

Various forms of pink eye can also result in additional symptoms, including:

Pink eye caused by a virus:

A viral infection is the cause of this kind of pink eye. It spreads rapidly and efficiently in crowded areas and is highly contagious. Burning, redness, and watery discharge are the results. Additionally, a runny nose and a sore throat could appear.

Pink eye caused by bacteria is extremely contagious and is brought on by a bacterial infection. Your eye will be very painful and may produce sticky pus if you have this kind of pink eye. You might experience symptoms of a strep infection as well because the bacteria that sometimes causes this type of pink eye also causes strep throat.

Pink eye caused by an allergic reaction is not contagious, but it can cause your eyes to become extremely itchy, red, puffy, and watery.

More information on pink eye in general can be found here. But these are some illustrations of how pink eye might appear.

Detection of pink eye

Pink eye is frequently identified solely by its signs and symptoms.

Based on the condition of your eye and the symptoms you’re exhibiting, your doctor might recommend a course of treatment. Lymph nodes in front of the ears that are swollen are frequently present in viral conjunctivitis patients.

Although it can be challenging to tell whether an infection is viral or bacterial, there is no specific treatment for a viral infection other than comfort measures and time.

Your doctor may occasionally take a swab or sample of the discharge coming from your eye to be tested for the presence of a particular virus or bacteria.

What eliminates pink eye?

Pink eye typically resolves on its own, but healing can take some time. Pink eye can take up to 3 weeks to fully clear up, regardless of the cause, but in most cases, this can happen with or without treatment.

In some circumstances, treatment can hasten the healing process or stop the infection from infecting additional people. Depending on the specific cause, the pink eye has different treatments.

Infected pink eye :

Other than time, there is no real treatment for viral pink eye.

Viral pink eye should go away on its own in 7 to 14 days, though it might take a while. Reliable Source. It could take up to 3 weeks for severe cases to completely clear up. There may be some antiviral medications available in situations where a specific viral cause has been identified.

There are medications for specific viruses like herpes simplex or varicella-zoster, though this isn’t true for all viruses.

Infectious pink eye :

Without any treatment, bacterial pink eye can sometimes get better in 2 to 5 days, but severe cases can take up to 3 weeks to completely go away.

If you visit a doctor for pink eye, you might be prescribed antibiotic eye drops or ointment that will help the infection clear up more quickly and stop it from spreading.

Inflammatory pink eye :

Depending on what causes your allergic reaction, allergic pink eye may appear and disappear on its own.

During inflammatory flare-ups, lubricating or soothing eye drops may be helpful, but you should collaborate with your healthcare team to develop a plan of care that can help control your underlying allergies.

FAQs

What is the duration of pink eye?

While various forms of pink eye can resolve in about a week, tenacious or severe infections can take up to three weeks to completely disappear.

Does pink eye respond to eye drops?

If a bacterial infection leads to the development of pink eye, your medical team might recommend antibacterial eye drops or ointment for you. If you have pink eye brought on by allergies or a virus, antibiotics won’t help.

Why does pink eye develop?

Pink eye can be brought on by both viruses and bacteria. A flare-up of seasonal allergies or exposure to irritants like cigarette smoke can also cause an allergic reaction to occur.
Takeaway

The typical characteristic of pink eye is the dark pink to red color that results from inflammation of the moist tissue covering the eyeball. Other pink eye causes, such as viruses or bacteria can also cause other symptoms like pus or watery discharge.

If the irritation persists after a few weeks or becomes severe, impairs your vision, or affects other body functions, speak with your medical team.