Symptoms of Conjuctivitis?

 

Usually, your healthcare provider can diagnose pink eye by asking about your health history and symptoms and examining your eyes.

 

If necessary, your doctor might take a sample of the liquid draining from your eye for laboratory analysis, called a culture. A culture could be needed if your symptoms are severe or if your doctor suspects a high-risk cause, such as:

 

  1. A foreign object in your eye.
  2. A serious bacterial infection.
  3. A sexually transmitted infection.

 

Conjunctivitis Treatment

 

Pink eye treatment is usually focused on symptom relief. Your doctor may recommend:

 

  1. Using artificial tears.
  2. Clean your eyelids with a wet cloth.
  3. Applying cold or warm compresses several times a day.

 

If you wear contact lenses, you will be advised to stop wearing them until your treatment is complete. Your doctor will recommend that you discard the soft contacts you have already worn.

 

Disinfect hard lenses overnight before you reuse them. Ask your doctor whether you should discard and replace your contact lens accessories, such as lens cases. Also, replace any eye makeup used before your illness.

 

Most often, you will not need antibiotic eye drops. Since conjunctivitis is usually viral, antibiotics will not help. They could even cause harm by reducing their effectiveness in the future or causing a reaction. Instead, the virus needs time to run its course. This usually takes around 2 to 3 weeks.

 

Viral conjunctivitis often begins in one eye and then infects the other eye. Your symptoms should gradually clear on their own.

 

Antiviral medicines might be an option if your viral conjunctivitis is the result of the herpes simplex virus.

 

Treatment for Allergic Conjunctivitis

 

If irritation is allergic conjunctivitis, your doctor might prescribe one of many diverse types of eye drops for people with allergies. These could include medicines that help control your allergic reactions, such as antihistamines and cell stabilizers. Or your doctor may recommend medicines to help control inflammation, such as decongestants, steroids, and anti-inflammatory drops.

 

Non-prescription versions of these medicines could also be effective. Ask your doctor about the best option for you.

 

You could lower the severity of your allergic conjunctivitis symptoms by avoiding whatever causes your allergies.

 

Lifestyle and Home Remedies

 

To help you cope with the symptoms of pink eye until it goes away, try to:

 

  1. Apply a compress to your eyes. Soak a clean, lint-free cloth in water and wring it out before applying it gently to your closed eyelids. Usually, a cool water compress will feel soothing. You could also use a warm compress if that feels better to you. If pink eye affects only one eye, do not touch both eyes with the same cloth. This will reduce the risk of spreading pink eye from one eye to the other.
  2. Try eye drops. Non-prescription eye drops such as artificial tears might relieve symptoms. Some eye drops contain antihistamines or other medicines that can also help if you have allergic conjunctivitis.
  3. Stop wearing your contact lenses. If you wear contact lenses, you might need to stop wearing them until your eyes feel better. How long you will need to go without contact lenses depends on the cause of your conjunctivitis. Ask your doctor whether you should throw away your disposable contacts, as well as your cleaning solution and lens case. If your lenses are not disposable, clean them thoroughly before reusing them.

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