Why is my eye still red/discharging after receiving antibiotics/eye drops for pink eye?

Question

About 2 weeks ago I got pink eye and took antibiotics and eye drops to get rid of it. The eye drops cleared it up completely, and the infection seems to be gone because of the antibiotics, however there is still some redness towards the inner part of my eye (close to my nose), and periodically throughout the day small discharges of whitish mucus from the inner eye area.

I don't think I have pink eye anymore, but some of these symptoms seem to be lingering? If I use visine the redness goes away, but the mucus around the eye still comes about once or twice a day in small portions.

Could I still be partly infected with the virus?

Thanks for the help in advance

Answer 1

When using antibiotic eye drops for a period of time dryness can occur within the eye.  Using an artificial tear can help with the redness and discharge.  Visine never helps red eyes.  Red eyes are primarily due to dry eye.  Visine only paralyzes the blood vessels to make the redness temporally dissipate.  When the drops wear off the redness is usually worse.

Answer 2

You might still have pink eye, but most likely it is just a little irritation from the drops.  

Pink eye 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-inflammatories 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.

This link gives basic information about pink eye. Best of luck.