Conjunctivitis

What is conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is inflammation or infection in the transparent membrane that lines your eyeball. Your eye may be so pink that it may even look red. Bacterial or viral infections can cause pink eye, which might feel irritating or negatively affect your vision in some cases. Treatment by the Norwalk Eye Care team can ease your discomfort and eliminate pink eye.

What are the symptoms of conjunctivitis?

If you have conjunctivitis, you might notice some of the following signs or symptoms:

    • Eye redness
    • Eye itchiness
    • Discharge from the eyes
    • Eye crusting
    • A gritty feeling in your eyes

Common causes of pink eye include bacteria, viruses, allergies, a foreign object in the eye, a chemical splash in your eye, or a blocked tear duct. Risk factors include allergies, exposure to someone with conjunctivitis, and wearing contact lenses.

How does my provider diagnose conjunctivitis?

To find out if you have conjunctivitis and develop a treatment plan, your optometrist asks questions about your symptoms and examines your eyes. In some instances, they might take a sample of liquid from your eye and send it to a lab for analysis.

What are my conjunctivitis treatment options?

If you have pink eye, the Bronx Eye Associates team might recommend you use artificial tears, take antibiotic medications, keep your eyelids clean with a wet cloth, or apply a warm or cold compress to your eyes several times daily. Your eye doctor might recommend you stop wearing contact lenses until you complete conjunctivitis treatment and disinfect hard lenses before reusing them.

If you have viral conjunctivitis associated with the herpes simplex virus, your optometrist may recommend you take antiviral medications. In the case of allergic conjunctivitis, they might suggest allergy avoidance or medicines that control allergic reactions, such as anti-inflammatory eye drops or decongestants.

The Bronx Eye Associates team also treats styes and blepharitis, a condition in which your inner eyelid becomes inflamed. Blepharitis might occur with allergies or skin conditions, but treatment can offer you relief.

Don’t live with unpleasant symptoms of pink eye when Bronx Eye Associates offers simple solutions. Schedule an appointment over the phone or online to find out which conjunctivitis treatment is right for you.