Pink Eye Symptoms

Redness and itchiness are by far the most common symptoms of pink eye but other tell-tale signs may give you an indication that an itchy eye may be developing into something more serious:

• You have that horrible gritty feeling in your eye and no matter how many times you take your lenses out to clean them, you can still "feel" your lenses.

• Your eye keeps watering and you can't pin the cause down to strong winds or dust that may have flown into your eye. The watering could indicate that there is inflammation in the eye, producing excessive tears as a reaction.

• If you see a yellowish mucus in the inner corner of your eye, this could also be one of the classic pink eye symptoms.

What Causes Pink Eye?

Pink Eye

There are many causes of pink eye, including use of extended wear contact lenses, when bacteria builds up under the lenses.

I remember a work colleague who developed horrendous conjunctivitis through sleeping in contact lenses for up to a month at a time; she had to stop wearing lenses for a long time until her condition improved.

Other common causes include:

• Bacteria gets into the eye eg. through rubbing your eye with a dirty hand or through contact with someone else who has conjunctivitis. Dust and grit can also be a culprit in windy environments.

• Viral infection.

• Allergic reaction eg. to high levels of pollen.

Cures for Pink Eye Symptoms

If you wear contact lenses, be sure to stop wearing them while you have conjunctivitis.

There are several cures for pink eye. The first thing you should do is apply a warm compress to the infected area and lie down in a cool dark room.

Washing the area frequently with warm water will help to clean the infected area and prevent the infection spreading even further.

You may need to apply some antibiotic ointment or use some eye drops to clear eye infections caused by allergies.

You could also try the following home remedies if your eye is too sore to even think about going out.

The best tip I can offer as a contact lens wearer for avoiding pink eye symptoms, is to ALWAYS change your disposable lenses according to the maximum wear time. Don't try and save money by wearing those daily disposables for an extra day or two or extend your 1 week lenses to 2 weeks.

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