Understand Conjunctivitis Pink Eye & its Treatments

This is an eye condition that occurs due to infection by viruses or bacteria. Apart from infection, it is also caused by allergies and leaves the eyes red, inflamed, and swollen. Children are the usual suspects of this occurrence as they tend to be in close contact with many other children who may not necessarily practice good hygiene at that age. This makes it crucial to know the underlying causes and the treatments of Conjunctivitis pink eye that are available to manage this condition.

Let’s understand the types of Conjunctivitis Pink Eye:

While the main causes are viruses, bacteria, or allergies, viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are easily spread from person to person. Allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious.

  • Viral conjunctivitis: The most common type of pink eye is very contagious and often spreads through schools and other crowded places. It usually causes burning, red eyes with a watery discharge. It is usually caused by the same virus that causes runny noses and sore throats in humans.
  • Bacterial conjunctivitis: As contagious as viral conjunctivitis and affects the person with sore, red eyes with a lot of sticky pus in the eye. However, some bacterial infections may cause little or no discharge. Sometimes the bacteria is the same, which causes sore throats during a fever in humans.
  • Allergic conjunctivitis: This is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen, animals, cigarette smoke, pool chlorine, car fumes, or something else in the environment. However, this type of conjunctivitis is not contagious. When this condition occurs, the eyes become very itchy, red, and watery, and the eyelids may get puffy.

What the treatments for Conjunctivitis Pink Eye are:

Treatments usually depend on the type of conjunctivitis a person has.

  • There’s no specific treatment for viral conjunctivitis. The body fights the virus on its own. Placing a cool, wet washcloth on the eyes and lubricating them with eye drops can make them feel more comfortable.
  • If it is a bacterial infection, the ophthalmologist may prescribe antibiotic eye drops. An infection caused by a virus or by allergy cannot be treated by antibiotics.
  • In the case it is an allergic infection, certain eye drops help with the itchiness and puffiness.
  • Sometimes chemicals or other substances coming into contact with the eyes also cause conjunctivitis. In this case, rinse the affected eye to wash away the substance. Eye drops or ointment for the eyes may be prescribed.

It’s important to understand the causes, types, and treatments of Conjunctivitis Pink Eye so that it can be managed effectively. The condition usually goes away on its own within 1 to 2 weeks, but if it lasts longer than that, you should visit  Infigo Best Eye Hospital & Largest Eye Care Network.. It’s always better to make sure that there isn’t a more serious underlying eye problem.