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This being Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month, we thought we’d do a quick post on the most common eye infection in the United States – Conjunctivitis – otherwise known as pink eye.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the clear mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eyeball and the inside of the eyelid. This causes eyes to be red and irritated. Other symptoms may include increased tearing, a gritty feeling in the eyes, sensitivity to light, stickiness of the eyelids, swelling, and itching.
This infection is highly contagious so to help prevent the spread follow these simple practices:
Thoroughly wash your hands often and well.
Keep your hands away from the infected eye.
Do not share washcloths, towels, pillowcases, or handkerchiefs with others, including family members.
Change your washcloth, towel, and pillowcase after each use, and wash them thoroughly.
Do not use other people's eye drops or cosmetics, particularly eye pencils and mascara.
Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are highly contagious. Unless you observe the following preventive measures the condition will quickly spread to other people:
- Thoroughly wash your hands often and well.
- Keep your hands away from the infected eye.
- Do not share washcloths, towels, pillowcases, or handkerchiefs with others, including family members.
- Change your washcloth, towel, and pillowcase after each use, and wash them thoroughly.
- Do not use other people's eye drops or cosmetics, particularly eye pencils and mascara.
If your child gets pinkeye, keep him or her out of school for a few days. Once one student comes down with conjunctivitis, it is not uncommon for it to spread to an entire class.
Allergic conjunctivitis can be prevented by avoiding those things that trigger the condition. New treatments for allery sufferers (pills and eye drops) can prevent symptoms before they occur. Some patients benefit from skin testing that identifies specific sensitivities that can be blocked with regular injections (immune therapy).
Discontinuation of hard contact lens wear can prevent giant papillary conjunctivitis.
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