As discussed in the
Emergency Department prior to discharge, you were diagnosed with viral
conjunctivitis also known as ‘pink eye.’
Pink eye is the everyday term people use
to describe an infection or irritation of the eye. The medical term for pink eye is
"conjunctivitis."
If you have pink eye, your eye (or eyes)
might:
-Turn pink or red
-Weep or ooze a gooey liquid
-Become itchy or burn
-Get stuck shut, especially when you first wake up
Pink eye can be caused by an infection,
allergies, or an unknown irritation.
When pink eye is caused by an infection,
it can spread easily. Usually, people
catch it from touching something that has been in contact with an infected
person's eye. It can also be spread when
an infected person touches someone else, and then that person touches his or
her eyes.
If you know someone with pink eye, avoid
touching his or her pillowcases, towels, or other personal items.
Most cases of pink eye go away on their
own without treatment. But some types of
pink eye can be treated. When pink eye
is caused by infection, it is usually caused by a virus, so antibiotics will
not help. Still, pink eye caused by a
virus can last several days. Pink eye
caused by an infection with bacteria can be treated with antibiotic eye drops
or gels. Pink eye caused by other
problems can be treated with eye drops normally used to treat allergies. These drops will not cure the pink eye, but
they can help with itchiness and irritation.
When using eye drops for infection, do
not touch your good eye after touching your affected eye, and do not touch the
bottle or dropper directly in one eye and then use it in the other. Doing these things can cause the infection to
spread from one eye to the other.
If you wear contact lenses and you have
symptoms of pink eye, it is really important to have a doctor look at your
eyes. In people who wear contacts, the
symptoms of pink eye can be caused by "corneal abrasion." Corneal abrasion is a scratch on the eye and
can be a serious problem.
During treatment for eye infections, you
might need to stop wearing your contacts for a short time. If your contacts are disposable, you will
want to throw them away and start fresh.
If you contacts are not disposable, you will need to carefully clean
them. You should also throw away your
contact lens case and get a new one.
Return to the Emergency Department for
worsening eye pain, loss of vision, double vision, drainage of pus from the
eye, or any new or concerning symptoms.
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