Conjunctivitis

What is conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis is one of the most common and treatable eye infections in children and adults. Often called "pink eye," it is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid. This tissue helps keep the eyelid and eyeball moist.

Conjunctivitis can be caused by a virus, bacteria, irritating substances (shampoos, dirt, smoke, and especially pool chlorine), allergens (substances that cause allergies) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Pink eye caused by bacteria, viruses, and STIs can spread easily from person to person, but is not a serious health risk if diagnosed promptly.

What are the symptoms of conjunctivitis?

• Redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid
• Greater amount of tears
• Thick yellow discharge that crusts over the eyelashes, especially after sleep (in conjunctivitis caused by bacteria)
• Other discharge from your eye (green or white)
• Itchy eyes (especially in conjunctivitis caused by allergies)
• Burning eyes (especially in conjunctivitis caused by chemicals and irritants)
• Blurred vision
• Increased sensitivity to light

See your ophthalmologist (a doctor trained to treat eye conditions) or family doctor if you have any of these persistent symptoms. Ear infections also commonly occur in children who have bacterial conjunctivitis. The ophthalmologist will examine your eyes and possibly take a sample of fluid from the eyelid with a cotton swab. Bacteria or viruses that may have caused conjunctivitis can then be seen through a microscope.

How is conjunctivitis treated?

• Bacteria
  Conjunctivitis caused by bacteria is treated with antibiotics, a type of medicine prescribed by your doctor. The antibiotic can be given as eye drops, ointments, or pills. Eye drops or ointments may need to be applied to the inside of the eyelid three to four times a day for five to seven days. It may be difficult to apply ointments inside of a child’s eye. If the ointment gets as far as the eyelashes, it will most likely melt and enter the eye. Pills may need to be taken for several days. The infection should improve within a week. Take the medicine as instructed by your doctor, even if the symptoms go away.
• Virus
  Medicine cannot treat conjunctivitis caused by a virus. This type of conjunctivitis often results from a common cold. Just as a cold must run its course, so must this form of conjunctivitis, which will last from 4 to 7 days. You may, however, help relieve symptoms by applying a cold compress.
• Irritating substance
  To treat this type of conjunctivitis, use warm water for five minutes to wash the irritating substance from the eye. You should also avoid further exposure to the irritating substances. Your eyes should begin to improve within four hours after washing away the substance. If they do not, call your doctor.
• Allergies
  Allergy-associated conjunctivitis should be evaluated by your ophthalmologist and an allergist. It may disappear completely when the allergy is treated with antihistamines or the when the allergen is removed. Relieve symptoms temporarily by applying a cold compress on closed eyes.
• Ophthalmia neonatorum and STIs
  The same bacteria that causes the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia and gonorrhea can also infect the conjunctiva. This is called ophthalmia neonatorum and is most commonly spread during birth as the infant passes through the birth canal of an infected mother. Newborns are usually given eye drops immediately after birth to treat any possible infection.

Conjunctivitis can also be spread through hand contact when rubbing the eyes or touching contact lenses after touching infected genitals. Oral antibiotics in the form of pill, eye drops, or ointment are usually prescribed for treatment. Washing hands thoroughly can help prevent the spread of this type of conjunctivitis.

Being around a person who has conjunctivitis and wearing contact lenses may increase your risk of getting conjunctivitis, but the outcome is usually very good with treatment. The eyes can become re-infected. Call your doctor if symptoms last for more than three days after treatment.

What can I do to help relieve symptoms?

• Protect your eyes from dirt and other irritating substances.
• Remove contact lenses, if you wear them.
• Place cold compresses on your eyes.
• Wash your face and eyelids with mild soap or baby shampoo and rinse with water to remove irritating substances.

Non-prescription "artificial tears," a type of eye drops, may help relieve itching and burning from irritating substances. (Note: Other types of eye drops may irritate the eyes and should not be used.) Do not use the same bottle of drops in the other eye if it is not infected.

How can I prevent spreading the infection?

• Don’t touch or rub the infected eye(s).
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water.
• Wash any discharge from your eyes twice a day using a fresh cotton ball or paper towel. Afterwards, discard the cotton ball and wash your hands with soap and warm water.
• Wash your bed linens, pillowcases, and towels in hot water and detergent.
• Avoid wearing eye makeup.
• Don’t share eye makeup with anyone else.
• Never wear another person’s contact lens.
• Wear glasses instead of contact lenses. Throw away disposable lenses or be sure to clean extended wear lenses and all eyewear cases.
• Avoid sharing common articles such as unwashed towels, cups, and glasses.
• Wash your hands after applying the eye drops or ointment to your eye or your child’s eye.
• Do not use eye drops in a non-infected eye that were used for an infected one.

If your child has bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, keep him or her home from school or day care until he or she is no longer contagious.

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