Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, defines as an inflammation of the transparent lining of the eyeball and eyelid. The transparent lining, conjunctiva, with its tiny blood vessels, becomes swollen and irritated when infected with a virus, bacteria, or allergen. The eye tears up, and the vessels swell, making the pink color of the usually white sclera. A discharge pours out that at night forms a crust on the eyelids. It can have such a copious amount that it dries the eyes shut after a night of sleep. It can be dealt with using a warm washcloth to soak the eyes before rising.
Change of Vision
Pink eye does not cause blindness. It irritates the lining of the eye to the point the body produces copious tears to wash the virus, bacteria, or allergen out. It may be difficult to see through the tears, but it does not make vision less. Pink eye is highly contagious. Rubbing the fluid from the eyes fills the hands with microbes and, if not washed, can infect another person easily. Schools and daycares worry about outbreaks of pink eye.
Symptoms
Eyes will display the pink and burn. At times, it will feel as if a piece of sand or grit has fallen into the eye. If a person has pink eye in one eye only and rubs the fluid on their hands, then transfers the fluid to the other eye with the same hand, the pink eye will infect the uninfected eye. The eyes become sensitive to light sometimes and further irritation of the conjunctiva happens. Washing hands frequently and having a towel nearby to wipe the eyes with helps keep the infection rate down.
Treatment
Rest and self-care usually becomes the prescribed treatment. Washing eyes with a cool, wet cloth often helps. Eye drops help clear up the tears so one can see. An ophthalmologist sometimes gives antibiotic eye drops. Antibiotics cannot treat the virus, but pink eye often develops a secondary bacterial infection, so antibiotics treat or prevent that. Pink eye usually disappears in a week or so.
Cautions
A person who wears contacts should take the contacts out while the pink eye displays. If a person has had LASIK surgery in the last few months, then not rubbing the eyes becomes especially important. Loosening the flap causes a condition called epithelial growth below it and can cause some loss of vision. Call the Houston LASIK doctors for advice on keeping the area around the flap clean. Sometimes a pink eye happens due to a chemical substance or foreign object entering the eye. It will give the appearance of the microbial pink eye, but the treatment is different. In those cases of chemical or foreign object irritation the treatment becomes flushing out the eye to remove the substance. If, after flushing, the irritation continues, then see the doctors at the Houston Clinic to check for abrasions. Lastly, getting scratches on the eye also acts like pink eye, but a person will have more pain and not so much discharge. A person must seek an ophthalmologist’s opinion on it if it lasts longer than a few days.
Since 2005, Houston LASIK has been providing surgical vision correction technologies to patients from the Greater Houston Area and all over the world. The center specializes in multiple premium technologies including LASIK, EVO ICL (Intraocular Collamer Lens), ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation), and RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange). Houston LASIK & Eye is well known for using state-of-the-art technology and personalized care to help patients see their best. Patients receive customized surgical solutions from a team of highly experienced and award-winning ophthalmologists and optometrists. For more information, visit www.houston-lasik.com or call 281-240-0478.
Sources
- https://journal.ijresm.com/index.php/ijresm/article/view/3027/3055
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/pink-eye-conjunctivitis
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pink-eye/symptoms-causes/syc-20376355
- https://www.cdc.gov/conjunctivitis/index.html
