Pink
Eye Symptoms: More than Just Red Eyes
One
of the most common and treatable of eye infections, a pink
eye infection may alarm you at first because of the intense
redness it causes throughout your eye. A pink eye infection,
or conjunctivitis, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva,
the clear membrane that lines the white part of your eyeball
and inside your eyelid. The most obvious of pink eye symptoms
is extreme eye redness, but there are other pink eye symptoms
as well, depending on the cause of your pink eye infection.
Pinkeye
(conjunctivitis) has a variety of causes including a
bacterial infection, viral infection, allergies, chemicals,
and air pollutants. Less frequently, a pink eye infection
may be caused by a sexually transmitted disease. Newborns
are also susceptible to a pink eye infection as they pass
through the birth canal. Pink eye symptoms are usually related
to your eye and the surrounding area. Typical pink eye symptoms
include:
- Redness
in the eye or eyes
- Itchiness
in one or both eyes
- Burning
- Tearing
- The
feeling that something is in your eye
- Grittiness
in the eye
- Sensitivity
to light
- Blurred
vision
- Eye
discharge which may be clear or thick and yellowish green
- One
or both eyes becoming crusted shut during the night
- A
family member with pink eye symptoms
- A
recent cold or other viral infection
- Swollen
lymph nodes
- Ear
infections, sinus infections, or sore throat (the viruses
that cause these may result in pink eye symptoms)
The
multiple causes of pink eye infection, coupled with the
variety of pink eye symptoms, results in different treatments.
Some types of pink eye infection may heal themselves, while
others will require you to seek treatment. One important
piece of advice for everyone is, if someone you are close
to exhibits pink eye symptoms, practice frequent hand-washing
and avoid touching your eyes. Ocular
nutrition is also beneficial for long-term eye health
and overall health.
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