What To Know About Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, or the thin layer of membrane that protects your eye. Pink eye, which can make the white part of one or both of your eyes look red or pink, may also cause sticky discharge. Viruses, bacteria, or allergens can cause pink eye.

Viral and bacterial pink eye are contagious. Common pink eye symptoms include eyelid swelling, watery eyes, itchiness, irritation, and burning. Anyone can get pink eye, but newborns and children must get treatment early. Treatment options depend on the cause; sometimes, adults can manage symptoms without medical treatment.

Read on to see pictures of pink eye in adults and children and learn about the types of pink eye, common symptoms, causes, treatments, and prevention methods.

Types of Pink Eye

Different types of pink eye exist. The type depends on what's causing the conjunctivitis and influences the type of treatment needed.

Infectious Conjunctivitis

Two main types of infections can cause conjunctivitis. These include:

• Viral conjunctivitis: This is the most common type of pink eye and is highly contagious. It can be caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold. Symptoms include redness, burning or itching, a feeling like you have something in your eyes, watery discharge, and light sensitivity. You may also have a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue. Symptoms usually last 14-30 days.
• Bacterial conjunctivitis: This type of pink eye can occur if certain bacteria contact your eye. The most common bacteria that cause pink eye are staphylococcus or streptococcal. It's often spread from touching your eye with unclean hands, contact with others, insects, or contaminated makeup. Bacterial conjunctivitis can be acute (lasting one to two weeks), hyperacute (coming on quickly), or chronic (lasting four weeks). Symptoms include the same as viral pink eye but with white, sticky pus. Your eyelids may feel stuck together when you wake up.

Allergic Conjunctivitis

If something you're allergic to comes into contact with your eye, you could get allergic conjunctivitis. Common allergens include dander, mold, and pollen.

Chemical Conjunctivitis

If an irritant, such as smoke, dust, or air pollution, chlorine in a pool, or a noxious chemical, comes into contact with your eye, you could get chemical conjunctivitis. Overuse of contacts can also cause pink eye.

Pink Eye Symptoms

Pink eye symptoms can occur in one or both eyes. Common pink eye symptoms can include:

• Red or pink inflamed eyes
• Swollen eyelids
• Burning or itching
• A feeling like you have something in your eye
• Light sensitivity
• Watery discharge (viral)
• Thick, white pus (bacterial)
• Eyelashes that stick together after you sleep
• Blurred vision

How long symptoms last depends on what type of pink eye you have. Typically, pink eye resolves in less than four weeks.

What Causes Pink Eye—And How Contagious Is It?

Pink eye can have several causes. The most common causes of conjunctivitis are:

• Infections (viral or bacterial): These types of pink eye are highly contagious.
• Allergens: Allergic pink eye can be seasonal. It may occur along with other allergy symptoms, like sneezing and an itchy nose, and often affects people in families with a history of hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis), asthma, or eczema.
• Other irritants: You can develop pink eye if your eyes come into contact with chemicals, dust, smoke, and other irritants.

Pink eye can result from changes in bacteria that live on the conjunctiva (the clear film covering the inner eyelid and the white part of the eye).

Although all cases of pink eye are not contagious, you should treat any cases as being contagious until you determine the type of infection you have.

How Pink Eye Spreads

Bacterial pink eye is more common in children due to close contact with others in school and daycare. Newborns are also at risk of getting pink eye from mothers with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Pink eye can spread in different ways. People can end up with viral or bacterial pink eye by way of:

• Hand contact with contaminated objects or hands (e.g., shaking hands), then touching your eyes before handwashing
• Eye contact with contaminated objects
• Air (e.g., through respiratory droplets from breathing, talking, coughing, or sneezing)
• Sexual activity with eye-to-genital contact or from a mother to a baby, in the case of bacterial pink eye

Viral pink eye is highly contagious and most commonly spreads through hand-to-eye contact. Your hands can get contaminated by touching tears or discharge from infected eyes, fecal matter, and respiratory droplets on surfaces.

Pictures of Pink Eye in Adult and Children

In many types of conjunctivitis, the conjunctiva swells up, making blood vessels appear larger than usual. Eyelids become pink and puffy.

When allergens—or other irritants—are the culprit, pink eye is very itchy and produces a watery discharge.

In newborns, pink eye causes red, puffy eyelids. Children may also have discharge, swelling of the conjunctiva, and swollen eyelids.

How Does Pink Eye Affect Children?

Bacteria and viruses that cause pink eye are easily transmitted from hand to eye, which is why toddlers and school-aged children are especially at risk. A child can get pink eye while in preschool or when playing on playgrounds.

Pink Eye in Newborns

With neonatal conjunctivitis (sometimes also known as ophthalmia neonatorum), newborn babies' eyes may be infected during vaginal delivery. This infection can happen if the mother has an untreated STI (such as chlamydia or gonorrhea) as well as from other non-sexually transmitted bacteria and viruses.

How Is Pink Eye Diagnosed?

Healthcare providers diagnose pink eye based on a patient's medical history, eye exam, and other physical signs and symptoms.

Redness and swelling are common symptoms of pink eye, but other pink eye symptoms may depend on the underlying cause. Often, the consistency and color of eye discharge provide important diagnostic clues.

A healthcare provider may collect a sample of eye secretions for laboratory testing to determine the type of pink eye infection and the best treatment.

Treatments for Pink Eye

Pink eye remedies vary depending on the cause and the individual affected. Many cases improve on their own without medication within days. Pink eye treatment aims to relieve symptoms and clear up the infection.

Home remedies may also help relieve symptoms. These can include:

• Applying a warm, moist compress to the eye several times a day to relieve swelling and irritation
• Avoiding air conditioning, direct wind, and secondhand smoke
• Cleaning your eyelashes regularly
• Limiting medications that have drying effects
• Stopping smoking
• Using a humidifier

Treatments for Viral Pink Eye

Viral pink eye tends to be mild and usually clears in a week or two without treatment. However, if complications occur, it can take longer—around two to three weeks. Antiviral medicines may be prescribed for more serious cases (such as pink eye caused by the herpes simplex virus or the varicella-zoster virus).

Treatments for Bacterial Pink Eye

If mild, cases of bacterial conjunctivitis often improve in days without treatment but can last up to two weeks. Antibiotic eyedrops or ointments can speed recovery, reduce complications, and lower the risk of transmission. Antibiotic treatment is generally recommended for:

• Serious symptoms
• People with weak immune systems
• People whose symptoms do not improve

Treatments for Allergic Pink Eye

Allergic pink eye usually clears up after exposure to the allergen is reduced or eliminated or when treatment is given. Allergy medicines and certain eye drops may provide symptom relief. Pink eye caused by irritants typically improves after the irritant is removed.

People who get pink eye from wearing contact lenses may need to switch to a new pair of lenses, a new disinfection solution, or even consider using glasses exclusively.

Treatments for Pink Eye in Newborns and Babies

Depending on the type of conjunctivitis a newborn develops, they may need oral or intravenous antibiotics, eye drops, or ointments to ward off potentially serious complications.

Sometimes, babies develop pink eye after receiving routine eye drops to prevent eye infections after birth. The irritation usually clears up within a few days. Newborns can also develop red, irritated eyes due to a clogged tear duct. Parents can treat it at home by gently massaging the area between the baby's eye and nose with a clean hand.

Treatments for Pink Eye in Children

See a healthcare provider to help determine the cause of your child's symptoms and appropriate treatment.

Compresses may ease swelling and irritation. Allergy medicines may help kids with allergic pink eye. Antibiotic drops are only prescribed for bacterial forms of pink eye.

How To Prevent Pink Eye

Anyone can get pink eye, and it's impossible to 100% prevent it. However, trying to maintain good hygiene can go a long way toward preventing the transmission of pink eye. To protect yourself from reinfection and others from acquiring pink eye, follow these tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
• Try not to touch or rub your eyes, especially if you have pink eye in one eye—you might infect the other eye
• Use a clean cloth or fresh cotton ball to clear mucus and pus from your eye. Throw away used cotton balls immediately after use, and launder washcloths in hot water and detergent.
• Wash your hands after applying eye drops or ointment for pink eye and after close contact with someone with pink eye
• Do not share personal items that may have touched your eyes (e.g., towels, bedding, cosmetics), sheets, pillowcases, and cosmetics
• Wash the bath and bed items used by a person with pink eye in hot water and detergent

Additionally, avoid reinfection by throwing out or cleaning items such as eyeglass cases, eye and face makeup, and contact lenses.

Complications

It's rare for pink eye to have complications. If you suspect bacterial pink eye or your symptoms worsen or persist, it's important to see a healthcare provider for treatment.

Though rare, severe cases of bacterial pink can have complications such as:

• Blindness
• Corneal ulceration and perforation, or an open sore on the cornea
• Keratitis, or inflammation of the cornea
  

A Quick Review

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is an eye infection that can be contagious, depending on the type of pink eye a person has. Some ways it can be spread include hand-to-eye contact, through the air, or close contact (e.g., shaking hands). The most common causes of pink eye are bacteria, viruses, and allergens.

You can try to prevent pink eye with methods such as washing your hands and not sharing contaminated items. Pink eye is treatable, and treatment will vary depending on the kind of pink eye you've been diagnosed with.