Does your child have itchy eyes? Do they seem red and watery? Your child may have a common condition known as conjunctivitis, or pink eye. While pink eye can be painful and irritating, it typically isn't a serious condition and will resolve without medical treatment within a week or two. However, some cases require antibiotics or allergy medications.
Three types of conjunctivitis exist:
Although allergic and irritant conjunctivitis can't be spread, infectious conjunctivitis is particularly contagious. It can be spread:
Infectious conjunctivitis can even be spread by swimming in water that an infected person has been in or by sharing towels with an infected person. For this reason, pink eye is commonly spread in schools and daycares.
The incubation period for bacterial conjunctivitis is just a few days. For viral conjunctivitis, it's up to a week. The duration of bacterial conjunctivitis is about one week, while viral conjunctivitis can last for two weeks or more.
Indications of pink eye vary from child to child, and the different types of conjunctivitis can exhibit different symptoms. Here are some symptoms to watch out for:
Pink Eye: A Cause for Worry? Pink eye is usually a mild condition and isn't a cause for worry. However, if symptoms don't improve after about five days or if your child starts complaining about vision problems, see a doctor as soon as possible.
Pink eye is usually a mild condition and isn't a cause for worry. However, if symptoms don't improve after about five days or if your child starts complaining about vision problems, see a doctor as soon as possible.
Most of the time, infectious conjunctivitis will resolve itself without medical treatment. However, your doctor is likely to recommend treatment with antibiotics. The antibiotics speed the healing process and decrease the chance that your child will spread the infection to other children.
For allergic conjunctivitis, your child's doctor will probably prescribe oral anti-allergy medication or eye drops.
Several home treatments can make a child with pink eye more comfortable:
To prevent infectious conjunctivitis, the contagious form of pink eye, instruct your children to wash their hands often. Be sure they don't share items the following items with others:
To prevent allergic conjunctivitis, keep your windows and doors closed on days with a high pollen count and dust and vacuum your home often.
To prevent irritant conjunctivitis, simply avoid the irritant as much as possible.
Ben-Joseph, Elana Pearl (2006). Conjunctivitis. Retrieved Sept. 6, 2007, from the Kids Health Web site: http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/infections/common/conjunctivitis.html.
Mayo Clinic Staff (2006). Pink eye (Conjunctivitis). Retrieved Sept. 6, 2007, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pink-eye/DS00258.
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