How Is Pinkeye Diagnosed?
If you think your child has pinkeye, it's important to see your health care provider
to learn what's causing it and how to treat it. Other serious eye conditions can have
similar symptoms, so a child who complains of severe pain, changes in eyesight, swelling
around the eyes, or sensitivity to light should be examined.
If you can't get an in-person visit, you might be able to do a "video visit" instead.
Telemedicine — when patients and health care providers use technology for the
remote diagnosis and treatment of some health conditions — is becoming more
and more popular. Ask your health care provider if his or her practice participates
in telemedicine, and check with your insurance provider to see if this option is covered.
How Is Pinkeye Treated?
Pinkeye caused by a virus usually goes away without any treatment. Pinkeye caused
by bacteria is treated with antibiotic eye drops or ointment.

It can be hard to get kids to tolerate eye drops several times a day. If you're
having trouble, put the drops on the inner corner of your child's closed eye —
when your child opens the eye, the medicine will flow into it. If you still have trouble
with drops, ask the doctor about antibiotic ointment, which can be placed in a thin
layer where the eyelids meet, and will melt and enter the eye.
If your child has allergic conjunctivitis, your doctor may prescribe anti-allergy
medicine, either as pills, liquid, or eye drops.
You also can give acetaminophen
or ibuprofen to
relieve discomfort (check instructions for correct amount).
How Can I Help My Child Feel Better?
Using cool or warm compresses on the eyes may make your child more comfortable.
Clean the edges of the infected eye carefully with warm water and gauze or cotton
balls. This can also remove the crusts of dried discharge that make the eyelids stick
together in the morning.
If your child wears contact lenses, your doctor or eye doctor may recommend that
the lenses not be worn until the infection is gone. Then, disinfect the lenses and
their storage case at least twice before letting your child wear them again.
If your child wears disposable contact lenses, throw away the current pair and use
a new pair after the infection is gone.
Doctors usually recommend keeping kids with contagious conjunctivitis out of school,
childcare, or summer camp for a short time.
Can Pinkeye Be Prevented?
Infectious conjunctivitis is highly contagious, so teach kids to wash
their hands well and often with warm water and soap. They also should not share
eye drops, tissues, eye makeup, washcloths, towels, or pillowcases.
Be sure to wash your own hands well after touching an infected child's eyes, and
throw away items like gauze or cotton balls after they've been used. Wash towels and
other linens that the child has used in hot water separately from the rest of the
family's laundry to avoid contamination.
If you know your child is prone to allergic conjunctivitis, keep windows and doors
closed on days when the pollen is heavy, and dust and vacuum often to limit allergy
triggers. Irritant conjunctivitis can only be prevented by avoiding the irritating
causes.
Screening and treating pregnant women for STDs can prevent many cases of pinkeye
in newborns. A pregnant woman may have bacteria in her birth canal even if she shows
no symptoms, which is why prenatal screening is important.
When Should I Call the Doctor?
If the pinkeye does not improve after 2 to 3 days of treatment, or after a week
if untreated, call your doctor.
If your child has increased swelling, redness, and tenderness in the eyelids and
around the eye, along with a fever, call your doctor. Those symptoms may mean the
infection has started to spread beyond the conjunctiva and will need further treatment.