Pink Eye is considered conjunctivitis in the medical language. It refers to the appearance of tiny blood vessels getting prominent in the eyes due to certain reasons, including environmental reasons, physical trauma, chemical reactions, or an underlying condition.
It is more prevalent in children than adults – it is also contagious if the underlying cause is a virus or bacteria. In the primary healthcare consultation, patients with bacterial pink eye, a type of conjunctivitis, make up 1% of the total consultations in the United States alone.
The Signs and Symptoms of Pink Eye
Some of the symptoms related to the pink eye include the following:
- Redness in the inner eyelid or the white of the eye
- Inflamed conjunctiva
- Teary eyes
- Yellow discharge coming from the eye that gets crusty
- White or green pus
- Itchy or burning eyes
- Vision getting blurred
- More sensitivity towards light
- Swollen lymphatic nodes
The Causes of Pink Eye
Some of the causes of pink eye include the following:
- Viruses, including viruses of the common cold
- Bacteria, amoebas, fungi, and parasites
- Irritants like dirt, shampoos, pool chlorine, or smoke
- Reaction to over-the-counter eye drops
- The allergic reaction towards things like dust, pollen, or smoke
- Reaction to contact lenses
The Treatment Options for Pink Eye
Antihistamine drugs are given to the patient with pink eye, given the cause is related to allergies. This is to ensure there is no inflammatory response triggering from the body due to a foreign agent. For bacterial types of pink eye, antibiotic eye drops or ointments like moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin, erythromycin, and sulfacetamide sodium are given. There are no prescriptions made for specifically targeting viral types of pink eye. The common types of medications for such categories given include decongestants and antihistamines, which reduce the effects caused by the virus until the microbe completes its cycle.
If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, telemedicine makes it possible for you to get the care you deserve. Schedule a virtual consultation with a Telakai Health online Provider and get on the road to recovery. Schedule your visit today.
