You rub and rub your eyes, but they won't stop itching. When you look in the mirror,
they are red and puffy. What's going on? Do you have a strange sickness? No —
you have a common problem called conjunctivitis. Most people call it pinkeye.
What Is Conjunctivitis?
Conjunctivitis (say: kon-junk-tih-VY-tis) is the most common eye
problem kids can have. It can cause redness; itching; inflammation (say: in-fla-MAY-shun)
or swelling; and a clear or white, yellow, or greenish gooey liquid to collect in
the eyes.

It's called pinkeye because the white part of the eye and inside the eyelids become
red or pink when you have it. Pinkeye may start in one eye, but many people get conjunctivitis
in both eyes at the same time. Conjunctivitis usually doesn't hurt, but itching can
be annoying. Sometimes it feels like you have an eyelash or a speck of sand in your
eye and can't get it out.
Adults, especially parents and teachers who spend a lot of time with kids, can
get conjunctivitis too. Conjunctivitis lasts a short time, usually about a week or
less, and then goes away by itself or after treatment.
How Do I Get Conjunctivitis?
Kids get conjunctivitis for different reasons. Most kids get it from bacteria
(say: bak-TEER-ee-uh) or viruses. This is called infectious (say:
in-FEK-shus) conjunctivitis. Bacteria can be seen only with a powerful microscope,
and viruses are even smaller than bacteria! Bacteria live on your skin
or in your nose or mouth all the time and you never know it. Most don't ever bother
you, but certain kinds of bacteria can cause infections like conjunctivitis.
Sometimes kids get ear infections
when they have conjunctivitis because the same bacteria can cause both problems.
Viruses, like the kind that can give you a cold, can cause conjunctivitis, too.
Conjunctivitis is easy to catch just through touching. You can get conjunctivitis
by touching the hand of an infected friend who has touched his or her eyes. If you
then touch your eyes, the infection can be spread to you. Washing
your hands often with warm, soapy water is the best way to avoid being infected
with conjunctivitis.
Kids also get conjunctivitis because of allergies
or because they get something irritating in their eyes, but these kinds of conjunctivitis
are not contagious.