Conjunctivitis or pinkeye is a common problem in
school going kids. The eyes become red, itchy, and
swollen. There can also be a discharge of gooey liquid
from the eye which can be of the color white, clear,
green or yellow. Conjunctivitis is also known as pinkeye
because the eye’s white part turns pink or red. When the
child experiences itchiness and redness in the eyes,
he/she should inform the elders as soon as possible, as
pinkeye is very contagious and spreads very easily.
It is possible that only one eye can get affected by
conjunctivitis, while the other eye dose not. In usual
cases, both the eyes get infected. Conjunctivitis
doesn’t hurt usually, but the eyes sure do itch badly.
There can be a sensation similar to an eyelash or tiny
particle getting in the eye, which can be very annoying.
The infection lasts for about a week and usually goes
away by itself. But if the itching is very troublesome,
it should be treated with medicine. Some children can
have conjunctivitis accompanied with ear infections, as
the bacteria responsible for causing pinkeye is also
responsible for causing ear infection.
Conjunctivitis is caused by virus or bacteria. Viruses
which cause conjunctivitis are also responsible for
cold. Bacteria which cause conjunctivitis also cause ear
infection. Conjunctivitis spreads by touching. If a
person touches the hand of the infected person, who has
recently touched his eyes, also gets the infection. And
since infected children deal with their parents and
children, they also pose the risk of getting the
infection. The prevention in this case is to wash hands
often with warm water and disinfecting soap.
Conjunctivitis when caused by bacteria & virus, and is
contagious is known as infectious conjunctivitis.
Conjunctivitis can also be caused due to allergies or
because of entry of irritating foreign body into the
eyes. Conjunctivitis caused by this medium is not
contagious.
A doctor should be approached upon if the itchiness is
very irritating. The doctor will check the eyes for
redness and liquid discharge. The doctor would ask about
the encounter with any friend or known person who seemed
to have pinkeye or whether the conjunctivitis was caused
because of some allergy or entry of foreign object into
the eye. The doctor can also check the ears for the
possibility of ear infection. If the pinkeye is caused
because of bacterial infection, the doctor will
recommend antibiotic eye ointment or drops. Usually
infants are given eye ointment, whereas children and
adults are given eye drops. The parents should put the
drops or ointment into the child’s eyes four to five
times a day for nearly seven days or so. The dosage and
timings should be maintained to get rid of the infection
completely.
If the conjunctivitis is caused due to virus, there is
nothing much the antibiotics can do. And if the pinkeye
is caused by allergies or any foreign object, the doctor
can recommend special eye drops to deal with the allergy
symptoms. Warm water can also be splashed on the eyes to
ease the itching. A cool or warm washcloth can be used
to clean the discharge. Parents can clean the eyes
carefully with cotton balls and warm water and remove
the crusty stuff which is formed at the ends of the
eyes. The towels and washcloths used for cleaning should
head straight to the laundry so that the infection
doesn’t spread to other family members.
