Dealing With Pink Eyes - Know The Do's And Don'ts!

Pink eye or conjunctivitis is actually an infection of the conjunctiva or transparent membrane found as the lining of the white part of your eyeball. The whites of your eyeball assume a reddish appearance because the small blood vessels in the conjunctiva have become inflamed due to conjunctivitis. Because pink eye is extremely contagious, it s imperative to get an early diagnosis and treatment so that other people don t get infected as well.

Wearing contact lenses that aren't cleaned properly or aren't your own can cause bacterial conjunctivitis. This is a highly contagious form of conjunctivitis, as we know. Never share contact lenses, eye make-up like kajal, mascara, etc. Always use new brushes to apply make-up as older one's harbor bacteria and viruses. Throw away old make-up items as they also become hotbeds of contagions and may cause an eye infection.

A discharge is a prominent symptom of conjunctivitis. It usually causes the formation of a crust during the night that usually prevents your eyes from opening in the morning. The discharge and the gritty feeling may affect you from seeing normally. But if you experience blurred vision, extreme eye pain and sudden loss of vision visit an emergency.

The infection is limited to the membrane lining your eyeball- the conjunctiva, and this has nothing to do with the light-sensitive parts of your eye and the optic nerve. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are both very contagious so if you meet someone with pink eye, avoid touching his hands as these will be infected due to itching in his eyes. If you touch his hands or surfaces he s touched, wash your hands with soap and avoid touching your eyes to prevent infection.