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Here's a question that I get asked a lot and it is, what causes pinkeye? Pinkeye is
one of those terms that is very general and people usually associate it with the pinkeye
you get when you are a kid and it's really runny and gooey and your eye is real red and
you have to take drops and it lasts about a week and you can't go to school for a
couple of days because it is very contagious. That's true, when it's caused by bacteria
or a virus it can be very contagious.
The thing is, is that pinkeye can be associated with a lot of different things. When you think
you have pinkeye it can be anything from dry eyes or allergies to an infection to an acute
attack of glaucoma. So, pinkeye can be a very, very serious condition and it really needs
to be checked out by an eye care professional to be diagnosed first. To see, is it because
you have allergies? A lot of times that would be associated with itchy eyes; itchiness is
almost always allergies. Dry eyes are the dry, scratchy feeling. Can sometimes also
be, the dryness and scratchiness, can also be associated with a viral infection, which
usually has a more watery, teary, sticky discharge. The classic pinkeye that you get, the gooeyness
from and your eyelids are stuck together is generally caused by bacteria. So that could
be treated with drops.
Viral infections are just like any other
virus. You need to wait for it to go away and that's usually 5-10 days. But when you
do have the pinkeye, it's very contagious associated with bacterial for viral infection.
So, you have to make sure that you don't share towels or pillowcases and you wash your
hands a lot. Otherwise everybody in the family is going to get it.
So, when you do have
a case of what you think might be pinkeye, go to your eye care professional. Find out
the diagnosis. See what the treatment is and you will be much happier.