Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis
7 Remedies for Pinkeye
Your mother called it pinkeye, a magic word that meant no school for a couple of days. Now that you're grown up, you call it conjunctivitis. And, although it might not keep you home from work, your eyes can still use a little soothing relief. Here's how.
Wash the red away. Remember Mom sitting on the side of your bed, dipping a washcloth in a bowl and gently placing it on your eyes? Wet pillow aside, she had the right idea. "A warm compress applied to the eyes for 5 to 10 minutes three or four times a day will make you feel better," says pediatric ophthalmologist Robert Petersen, M.D., director of the Eye Clinic at Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Keep them clean. "A lot of times conjunctivitis gets better by itself," says Dr. Petersen. "To help the healing process along, keep your eyes and eyelids clean by using a cotton ball dipped in clean or sterile water to wipe the crusts away."
Baby yourself. A warm compress works well for children, but sometimes adults need a little something more. "Adults who have a lot of discharge should make a solution of 1 part baby shampoo to 10 parts warm water," says Peter Hersh, M.D., an ophthalmologist and assistant surgeon at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.
"Dip a sterile cotton ball into the solution and use it to clean off your eyelashes. It works very well. The warm water loosens the crust and the baby shampoo cleans off the junction of your eyelid and eyelash."
An over-the counter solution called I-Scrub, used the same way, is just as effective.
MEDICAL ALERT
Seeing a Doctor Says Eye Care Conjunctivitis is an easily treatable problem that will usually go away on its own in about a week. You should, however, see your doctor if: - After five days the infection is getting worse, not better.
- You have a red eye that is associated with significant eye pain, change in vision, or a copious amount of yellow or greenish discharge.
- Redness is caused by an injury to your eye. "Sometimes infections can get in the eye and scratch the cornea, leading to an ulcer or even loss of vision or loss of your eye," says Robert Petersen, M.D.
So when it comes to your eyes, don't take a wait and see attitude. Instead, see your doctor. |
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Throw in the towel. Toss it, the washcloth, and anything else that comes in contact with your eyes into the laundry. "This infection is highly contagious. Don't share a towel or washcloth with anyone, because it will easily spread the disease," says Dr. Petersen.
Don't chlorinate your eyes. Does swimming in a pool leave you seeing pink? "The chlorine in swimming pools can cause conjunctivitis, but without the chlorine, bacteria would grow—and that could cause it, too," says Dr. Petersen. "If you're going to go swimming and you're susceptible to conjunctivitis, wear tight-fitting goggles while in the water."
Put allergic conjunctivitis on ice. If you survive the summer swim but not the summer pollen, your conjunctivitis may be caused by allergies. "If your eye itches like a mosquito bite and you have stringy pus in your eye, most of the time that's the sign of allergic conjunctivitis," says J. Daniel Nelson, M.D., a Minnesota ophthalmologist and chief of the Department of Ophthalmology at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in Minnesota. "Taking an over-the-counter antihistamine will help that, and use cold, not warm, compresses. A cold compress will really relieve the itch."
Get drugged at night. "Germ-caused conjunctivitis intensifies when your eyes are closed. That's why it tends to get worse at night when you're asleep," says Dr. Petersen. "To combat that, put any prescribed antibiotic ointment in your eyes before you go to bed. That way it will prevent crusting."
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Peter Hersh, M.D., is an ophthalmologist and assistant surgeon in the Department of Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. He is also an instructor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
J. Daniel Nelson, M.D., is an ophthalmologist and chief of the Department of Ophthalmology at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in Minnesota. He is also associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis.
Robert Petersen, M.D., is a pediatric ophthalmologist and director of the Eye Clinic at Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
