Conjunctivitis

Overview

Conjunctivitis is common, and some types spread very easily. It affects both children and adults. Some types get better on their own, while others need treatment from a doctor.

You can ease mild symptoms at home using a cold compress and over-the-counter eye drops. You can keep pink eye from spreading to other people by washing your hands often and not sharing items like pillowcases, towels, or makeup.

Signs and Symptoms

The most common symptoms of conjunctivitis are:

• Red eyes
• Itchy or burning eyes
• Watery eyes
• White, yellow, or green fluid (discharge) coming from your eyes
• Crust along your eyelids or eyelashes, which may keep your eyes from opening when you wake up

Causes and Risk Factors

Most of the time, conjunctivitis is caused by an infection — a virus or bacteria. Viral conjunctivitis is the most common type.

Viral conjunctivitis is most frequently caused by a common virus called adenovirus, but other viruses can also cause pink eye. If you have viral pink eye, you may also have a cold or sore throat.

Bacterial conjunctivitis can be caused by many different types of bacteria. Some common types are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Haemophilus influenzae.

It is also possible to get conjunctivitis from a fungus or parasite, but this is uncommon.

Allergic conjunctivitis develops when something you are allergic to gets in your eye. This typically feels itchy. Common allergens include:

• Pollen
• Dust mites
• Molds
• Animal dander (flakes of skin)

This kind of conjunctivitis is not contagious, meaning you cannot pass it to someone else. You are more likely to get this kind of pink eye if you have allergies to many different things.

Irritant conjunctivitis develops when something gets in your eye that irritates it. Some common irritants include:

• Contact lenses
• Contact lens solution
• Chlorine in a swimming pool
• Cosmetics (makeup)
• Dust

This kind of conjunctivitis is not contagious and is usually mild, going away on its own.

Risk factors for conjunctivitis include:

• Close contact with someone who has pink eye
• A recent respiratory infection, like a cough or a cold
• Wearing contact lenses
• Contact with something you are allergic to

Prevention Guidance

Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis spread very easily from person to person, but you can take steps to keep pink eye from spreading.

If you are around someone who has conjunctivitis:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If you do not have soap and water, you can use hand sanitizer with alcohol in it.
• Wash your hands after you touch the person with pink eye or something that person used.
• Always wash your hands before touching your eyes.
• Do not share personal items that the person with pink eye has used.

If you have conjunctivitis:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Be extra careful about washing them after you touch your eyes or use eye drops or medicine.
• Avoid touching or rubbing your eyes.
• If you have discharge, wash the area around your eyes 2 or 3 times a day. Use a clean, wet washcloth or a fresh cotton ball each time.
• Do not share personal items with other people.
• Do not wear contact lenses.

To prevent getting conjunctivitis again:

• Throw away any makeup you used while you had pink eye, including eye makeup, face makeup, and brushes or sponges.
• Throw away contact lens solution, contact lenses, and contact lens cases.

Additional prevention steps include:

• Change your contact lenses as often as your eye doctor recommends.
• Throw out old makeup and makeup brushes.
• To help prevent allergic pink eye, ask your doctor about ways to treat your allergies.

Diagnosis

A doctor will look at your eyes and ask you some questions to find out what caused your pink eye and decide on the best way to treat it.

Go to the doctor if you have:

• Pain in your eye
• A very red eye
• A lot of mucus coming from your eyes
• Blurry vision or sensitivity to light that does not get better when you wipe away discharge from your eye
• Symptoms that do not get better after a few days — or that get worse
• A health condition that weakens your immune system
• Symptoms of conjunctivitis and you wear contact lenses

Diagnosis methods include an eye exam and lab tests.

Treatment and Management

Conjunctivitis often gets better on its own after 7 to 10 days. To help your eyes feel less dry, you can use a type of over-the-counter eye drops called artificial tears. You can also use a cold compress — like a cool washcloth — to help with swelling and redness.

Viral conjunctivitis, usually gets better in one to two weeks without medicine. Sometimes it can take 3 weeks or more to heal. Antibiotics do not help viral pink eye.

Bacterial conjunctivitis can take one to two weeks to go away completely. Antibiotics can speed up the healing time, but they are not always needed. Ask your doctor if they recommend antibiotics for you.

Allergic or irritant conjunctivitis: Try to avoid the allergen or irritant. Allergy medicine and some eye drops may also help.

Find Clinical Trials

Clinical trials uncover better ways to prevent, diagnose, treat, and understand diseases and conditions. To ensure results apply to everyone, volunteers of all ages, sexes, and backgrounds, including both healthy individuals and those with specific medical conditions, are needed. Find clinical trials on conjunctivitis.

Research Information

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. NIH invests most of its budget in medical research seeking to enhance life and to reduce illness and disability. NIH-funded research has led to breakthroughs and new treatments helping people live longer, healthier lives, and building the research foundation that drives discovery.  

NIH supports research on the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of eye disorders and infectious disease.

Find NIH-funded research projects using NIH RePORTER, a searchable database of current and past research projects supported by NIH and other federal agencies.