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Talkin’ with Doc Griggs.”
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Health
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Conjunctivitis
(kon-junk-tih-VY-tis)
By Eric D. Griggs, M.D
with
Your eyes are itching and do not seem to
stop no matter what you do. They have
become swollen and red. What's going
on? Most likely you have a common eye
problem called conjunctivitis, also known
as pink eye.
What exactly is conjunctivitis or pink eye?
Conjunctivitis is an eye problem among
kids. Adults who spend time around
children, like teachers, can get pink
eye too. It causes swelling, itching and
redness3. Liquid from the eye that can be
clear, white, yellowish, or even greenish,
frequently happens1. The name recollects
that the eye and the eyelids are often pink.
Pink eye can be in one eye or both1. It can
be annoying, it usually is not painful. It
typically goes away in a week on its own
or with treatment2.
Many things can cause conjunctivitis.
Most people get it from a virus1. This is
called infectious conjunctivitis, and can
spread1. Contact with infectious pink eye
should be limited to prevent spread. You
can also get conjunctivitis from allergies
or irritation, these do not spread.
If you think you have conjunctivitis, you
should see your doctor or visit an urgent
care. Your doctor will look carefully to see
if you have any signs or symptoms. They
will make sure nothing has gotten into
them as well as check your ears to see if
there is an infection2,4. If the conjunctivitis
is caused by an infection, your doctor
will give you an antibiotic eye drop1. If it
is allergic conjunctivitis over the counter
eye drops will relieve the symptoms3.
Some helpful tips when dealing with pink
eye include not touching your eyes and
remembering to wash your hands often4.
If your eyes are really bothering you, try
placing a damp towel on them to help
reduce the itching sensation. These tips
help prevent the spread of pink eye and
protect your community. Keep this information
in mind and you will be prepared
for this coming school year.
References:
1. Azari AA, Barney NP.
Conjunctivitis. Jama.
2013;310(16):1721. doi:10.1001/
jama.2013.280318.
2. Mishra GP, Tamboli V, Jwala
J, Mitra AK. Recent Patents
and Emerging Therapeutics
in the Treatment of Allergic
Conjunctivitis. Recent Patents
on Inflammation & Allergy Drug
Discovery. 2011;5(1):26-36. doi:
10.2174/187221311794474883.
3. Rosa ML, Lionetti E, Reibaldi
M, et al. Allergic conjunctivitis:
a comprehensive review of
the literature. Italian Journal
of Pediatrics. 2013;39(1):18.
doi:10.1186/1824-7288-39-18.
4. Yetman RJ, Coody DK.
Conjunctivitis: A practice guideline.
Journal of Pediatric Health Care.
1997;11(5):238-241. doi:10.1016/
s0891-5245(97)90109-7.
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