How to Treat Pink Eye

Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis is said to be a common eye problem that is seen in children as well as in adults. A person is said to have pink eye or conjunctivitis when his eyes become red in color, not only because of inflammation of the membranes that cover the white part of the eyes, but also the membranes of the inner corner of the eyelids. Pink eye can be caused due to three different reasons which include allergy, viral and bacterial infection. Is pink eye contagious? Well, the answer depends on the causative factor. While pink eye caused by some kind of allergy is not infectious i.e. it cannot be transmitted from one person to another, conjunctivitis caused due to some kind of virus or bacteria is said to be highly contagious. However, pink eye is not a serious disease and can be fully cured with proper treatment. However, one must remember that if treatment is not given at the right time, pink eye can become the reason for some other serious problem. Hence, it is important to know about treatment of this condition. Nevertheless, before we go into the details, let us take a look at the causes and symptoms of pink eye.

Causes of Pink Eye
As I said earlier pink eye can be triggered due to bacterial or viral infection and also because of some kind of allergy. Although this eye infection can be seen in people of all age groups, children and infants are at a high risk of getting affected by this disease. This is because children have a weak immune system as compared to adults and hence, their body is highly sensitive to virus and bacteria that attacks it. Pink eye in kids and adults can also be caused because of allergic conditions like hay fever or may be due to exposure to things like animal dander, grass, dust mites, ragweed pollen etc. Bacterial or viral infections like cold, sore throat, sinus, ear infections can also be responsible for the development of pink eye in human beings.

Pink eye or conjunctivitis in newborn babies is commonly seen if the mother is suffering from some kind of sexually transmitted diseases, especially gonorrhea and chlamydia. The infant receives this virus or bacteria from the mother during childbirth, causing the child to have pink eye. Young infants who have a narrow tear duct during the time of birth may also suffer from the problem of conjunctivitis.

Symptoms
It is not very difficult to observe pink eye symptoms. One of the most obvious symptoms of pink eye is reddish color on the white part of the eye. This will be accompanied by puffiness around the eyes due to which eyes can look swollen. Apart from puffiness or swelling, it is also common to experience watering as well as greenish yellow discharge from the eyes. The excess discharge of the eyes may also cause the formation of crust around the eyes. One may also feel pain and discomfort in the eyes, along with extreme itchiness and irritation. The eyes may also become sensitive to bright light.

Treatment
Pink eye or conjunctivitis usually occurs during the flu season and lasts for not more than 7 - 9 days. However, there are certain things that one can do to relieve the pain and discomfort that one feels when suffering from pink eye, thus speeding up the healing process. If you observe any of the signs of pink eye, consulting a doctor will be a good idea to avoid any kind of complications. The doctors may prescribe certain antibiotics and eye drops to cure the problem of pink eye as soon as possible. Along with antibiotics and eye drops, there are also certain home remedies that you can use to cure pink eye as soon as possible. Here are some solutions that will be helpful to you.

• Treating the pink eye with a warm water compress is one of the oldest methods used for curing this eye infection. Soak a wash cloth in a cup of warm water and place it on your infected eye for some time. Repeat this procedure a few times to experience a soothing effect on the eyes.
• Rinse a wash cloth with warm water and wipe out the crusts that are formed around the eyes. Apply gentle pressure while doing this because applying too much pressure can irritate the eye more. You can repeat this process whenever you feel pain or feel a terrible itching sensation.
• Chamomile tea is a good way of soothing the eyes while a person is suffering from pink eye. The first step will be to moist the chamomile tea bag with cold water and then place it over your eyes. This will help in getting rid of the pain and discomfort caused by conjunctivitis.
• Adding artificial tears to eye drops that have been prescribed by your doctor is also a good idea. Artificial tears aid in reducing the itching and burning sensation in the eyes that one feels while having pink eye.

Treatment for Pink Eye in Children and Infants
The doctor may prescribe certain antibiotics to little kids who are suffering from the problem. You can also try some of the home remedies like warm compress or holding chamomile tea bags on eyes for children and infants too. As there is a chance of the infection spreading to other children, it will be advisable not to send children to school or day care centers for a few days. If conjunctivitis is caused due to a sexually transmitted disease, the infant should be given immediate treatment to cure the underlying cause.

Apart from these solutions, one must also take some precautionary measures to prevent the infection from spreading or becoming worse. One should avoid wearing contact lenses during this time, as lenses can cause irritation. Other than this, it is also important to maintain proper hygiene like washing hands, not touching the eyes, etc. to prevent others in the house from getting affected by conjunctivitis.