Conjunctivitis
Inflammation of the thin membrane that covers the white of the eye.
Conjunctivitis — pink eye — is the everyday inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin clear layer that covers the white of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids. It looks alarming and is usually harmless, but the cause matters: viral, bacterial, and allergic pink eye are three different problems with three different treatments.
Telling the three apart.
Viral cases tend to start in one eye and spread, with watery discharge and a recent cold. Bacterial cases produce thicker, sticky discharge that crusts overnight. Allergic conjunctivitis is itchy first, red second, and is almost always symmetric. We can usually tell which is which in a minute at the slit lamp.
How we treat it.
Viral pink eye runs its course in a week or two; cool compresses help, antibiotics do not. Bacterial pink eye clears quickly with the right drop. Allergic pink eye responds to anti-allergy drops and identifying the trigger. If there's any pain, light sensitivity, or vision change — that's the version that needs same-day attention.
