10 Pink Eye Facts and Symptoms

Pink eye, medically known as conjunctivitis, is a fairly common eye infection caused either by bacteria or by viruses that causes the conjunctiva to have an irritated reaction. The conjunctiva is a clear membrane that is in your eyelids as well as on the white parts of your eyeballs. Pink Eye causes are abundant around us leading to an average person’s familiarity with this disease. Yet, there might still be things you may not about it.

Here are some facts for you about Pink Eye:

1. You can be born with Pink Eye:-  Some babies are born with Pink Eye, here known as neonatal conjunctivitis. It can be caused either by bacteria, viruses, irritation in the eyes blocked tear ducts, etc.

2.   Not all redness is actually, Pink Eye:- Redness of the eye is a symptom of many types of problems in your body ranging from high blood pressure to uveitis, thus not all redness is conjunctivitis.

3.  There is no immunization to Conjunctivitis:- Whatever may be the cause of your Pink Eye, nothing actually immunizes your eye against it. If you’ve had conjunctivitis, it does not affect your chances of having it again in any way.

4.   Pink Eye doesn’t always fix itself:- While it commonly goes away on its own in a few days, Pink Eye treatment doesn’t always follow this pattern. Sometimes professional medical intervention is required before it permanently affects vision.

5.    Different types of Pink Eye exist:- There are different types of Pink Eye like bacterial, viral, allergic, chemical, etc. Only the bacterial and viral conjunctivitis out of these are contagious by nature, while others are not.

6.  Conjunctivitis doesn’t always spread from rubbing eyes:- While eye-to-hand touch is one of the easiest ways by which conjunctivitis is spread, it is not the only one. Other objects near infected eyes can also spread like make-up, lenses, specs, goggles, lotions, etc.

7.   Pink Eye is not limited to children: - Conjunctivitis usually occurs in children because of their less hygienic habits but it is not limited to just them. Pink Eye happens is in adults and people of all ages as well.

8.   Pink Eye is treatable: - Conjunctivitis is easily treatable with eye drops to reduce dryness, cool compress to reduce inflammation and allergy medication to reduce redness and other symptoms.

9.  It is a short-term disease: - Pink Eye is usually not a severe condition and persists until about a week at the maximum in normal cases.

10.   There are many causes of Pink Eye:- Pink eye causes are many and varied including bacteria, virus, allergic reaction, pollution, amoeba, fungi, chemicals, blocked tear ducts, etc. Based on these different causes, pink eye treatment is also specific to the type that you have caught.

The most common symptoms of Pink Eye are:

1. Redness of the cornea and inner parts of the eyelid
2. Teary eyes
3. Swelling of Conjunctiva
4. Yellow discharge that often crusts on eyelashes after sleep
5. Burning sensation in eyes
6. Itchiness near eyes
7. White or green discharge
8. Blurred eyesight
9. Lymph node swelling
10. Light sensitivity

The general case of Pink Eye does not adversely affect vision or damage your eyes permanently, but one can never be too sure. Take full precaution to protect your eyes from conjunctivitis and if you do get it, take the proper treatment to be rid of it as soon as possible.