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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