How do you get pink eye?

Question

How do you get pink eye?

Answer 1

There are different kinds of pink eye, so it depends on the kind of pink eye you have.  With bacterial or viral pink eye, it means that you came into physical contact with someone who has pink eye.

Pink eye, also called conjunctivitis, can show up when you least expect it, and it is very contagious. There is more than one type of pink eye, and how you treat it depends on the type. If it is bacterial you need antibiotic ointment or drops. There is no particular treatment for viral pink eye. If it is an allergy that is causing your difficulty you may need anti-inflammatory medication or antihistamines. Frequent hand washing is crucial to prevent spreading the virus or bacteria, depending on which type you have.   There is also something called CLARE, or contact lens induced acute red eye. Sleeping in contacts makes the eye more susceptible to inflammation/infection.

These links give basic information about pink eye.

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/08...

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/...

http://www.medicinenet.com/pink_eye/arti...

Answer 2

It's a bacterial infection, and very contagious. If someone with pink eye handles something, then you handle it and later touch your eye, you could get it. If you are around someone who has pink eye, you should try not to touch your eyes, and wash your hands frequently.

Answer 3

sleeping on someone else pillow with droll or your own droll and coming in contact with someone else who has it

Answer 4

Conjunctivitis (commonly called "Pink Eye" or "Red Eye" in North America) is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (the outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids), most commonly due to an allergic reaction or an infection (usually viral, but sometimes bacterial).

Signs

An eye with bacterial conjunctivitis.

An eye with bacterial conjunctivitis.

Infection (redness) of the conjunctiva on one or both eyes should be apparent, but may be quite mild. Except in obvious pyogenic or toxic/chemical conjunctivitis, a slit lamp (biomicroscope) is needed to have any confidence in the diagnosis. Examination of the tarsal conjunctiva is usually more diagnostic than the bulbar conjunctiva.

Allergic conjunctivitis shows pale watery swelling or edema of the conjunctiva and sometimes the whole eyelid, often with a ropy, non-purulent mucoid discharge. There is variable redness.

Viral conjunctivitis, commonly known as "pink eye", shows a fine diffuse pinkness of the conjunctiva which is easily mistaken for the 'ciliary injection' of iritis, but there are usually corroborative signs on biomicroscopy, particularly numerous lymphoid follicles on the tarsal conjunctiva, and sometimes a punctate keratitis.

Pyogenic bacterial conjunctivitis shows an opaque purulent discharge, a very red eye, and on biomicroscopy there are numerous white cells and desquamated epithelial cells seen in the 'tear gutter' along the lid margin. The tarsal conjunctiva is a velvety red and not particularly follicular. Non-pyogenic infections can show just mild injection and be difficult to diagnose. Scarring of the tarsal conjunctiva is occasionally seen in chronic infections, especially in trachoma.

Irritant or toxic conjunctivitis show primarily marked redness. If due to splash injury, it is often present only in the lower conjunctival sac. With some chemicals—above all with caustic alkalis such as sodium hydroxide—there may be necrosis of the conjunctiva with a deceptively white eye due to vascular closure, followed by sloughing of the dead epithelium. This is likely to be associated with slit-lamp evidence of anterior uveitis.