This is what I do now. I just write about the various infections I’ve caught from my son.
Last week, he had horrible pink eye. Add it to the long list of illnesses he’s had since starting daycare (which I wrote about here, here, and here).
I had a cold earlier in the week, but nothing too serious, and no red eyes. By the weekend, I thought I was in the clear.
But yesterday, I woke up with both of my eyes glued shut. I literally couldn’t see my phone in order to turn off my alarm. And when I finally unglued my eyelids, I was able to look in the mirror at the red and goopy eyes staring back at me.
Gross!
This particular problem is called viral conjunctivitis, aka pink eye. In this post, I’m going to break down what it is, how it’s diagnosed, transmitted, treated, and when to go to see someone about it.
What is viral conjunctivitis?
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the thin, clear layer that lines the white part of the eyeball and the inner eyelids. Anything that infects or irritates the conjunctiva can cause them to be inflamed. Therefore, there are many different kinds of conjunctivitis, like viral, allergic, irritant, and bacterial.
Viral conjunctivitis can affect one or both eyes. The symptoms are often a gritty or irritated feeling in the eye(s), tearing, redness, and clear or yellow gunk. And it's normal with this condition to have your eyes glued shut in the morning. Wild.
Because adenovirus is a common culprit, you can get symptoms of a cold, followed by pink eye.
How is it diagnosed?
Viral conjunctivitis is a clinical diagnosis, meaning a qualified healthcare professional can diagnose it based on history and physical exam findings.
It’s usually a straightforward diagnosis to make: a patient comes in with a goopy red eye that feels irritated, and on further questioning, was in contact with someone with pink eye. Based on the absence of more serious signs that I’ll get to below, you can be fairly sure a virus is the cause.
How is it treated?
Viral conjunctivitis gets better on its own. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to be done about it. Like the common cold, symptoms peak around day 3-5, and then gradually improve.
I’ve seen a few adults with viral conjunctivitis, and the question of antibiotic drops has come up. Conjunctivitis in adults is almost always viral, making antibiotics ineffective. Kids are much more likely to have a bacterial infection.
I don’t use or recommend “red eye drops,” which can cause rebound redness and are toxic if injected by mouth.
My personal goal right now it to avoid infecting others, and to avoid making my eyes feel worse (ie. with a lot of computer work or contact with allergens.)
Who needs to seek care?
Not all red eyes are conjunctivitis. Some conditions that cause red eye are dangerous, and need to be seen urgently.
According to Up to Date, there are five things that should prompt people to be seen in-person for red eyes:
1. Vision changes
2. Eye pain, especially if it’s getting worse or interfering with your sleep
3. If you can’t keep your eye open
4. Sensitivity to bright light
5. Eye trauma, eye surgery, or if you wear contact lenses
I probably should have taken my son to see his doctor when his eyes looked like this picture, but he had cold symptoms at the same time, so I was fairly certain it was viral. Thankfully, he's completely better now.
Although I enjoy having topics for my blog, I’m really hoping viral illness season is coming to an end. Fingers crossed!
Stay well friends,
Dr. Kuhnow
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