Pinkeye can be serious and should be treated by a doctor if needed
What is pinkeye, exactly?
Pinkeye (medical word, conjunctivitis) is when your eye looks pink because of some irritation, which causes the tiny blood vessels of the surface of the eyeball to swell up.
Because they're swollen, they're easier to see, and they give your eye a pink tinge when looked at from a distance.
Those blood vessels swell up because they're trying to help get more blood flow to the area, to help clean up any damage that might be there, or to help to remove any irritating substances.
Serious symptoms: get checked by a doctor or optometrist as soon as possible if:
- there's any change in your vision at all
- you become sensitive to light — that can be a sign of inflammation deeper in the eye
- you wear contacts — pinkeye can get a lot worse, and can cause serious damage, so take your contacts out right away
- you have a headache or nausea along with your eye symptoms
- you have other medical conditions such as arthritis or Crohn's disease
- you are taking any medications for which eye irritation can be a side-effect
Not serious: use artificial tears to soothe your eyes
Just use plain artificial tears, not the eye drops that claim to "get the red out." Those drops restrict the blood vessels on the surface of the eye, but you want the blood vessels to carry more blood to the affected area.
- Allergens such as pollen or pet dander usually affects both eyes, and is seasonal/situational.
- Direct irritants can cause pinkeye, e.g. a speck of dirt in the eye, or touching your eye after chopping hot chili peppers.
- Viral infection will give a sandy, burning feeling in the eye with lots of watery tearing.
The treatment is: wash your hands, cover your cough, and wait a few days.
The infection is usually one of the viruses that causes colds, too, and antibiotics don't work on viruses, so there's NO POINT in using antibiotic drops.
- Bacterial infection will result in an itchy, sandy, burning feeling with a thick, goopy discharge, actual pus coming from the eye, and eyelids tending to be stuck shut in the morning.
Antibacterial drops from your doctor will treat the infection and decrease contagiousness.
Never take chances with your eyes! If symptoms are worsening, or not improving, get checked by your doctor or optometrist.
