Pinkeye is a condition that is more technically known as conjunctivitis. This is an infection of the eye which can cause a range of unwanted symptoms including pain, inflammation, pus and of course the redness that gives the condition its name.
As an infection, pinkeye is caused by bacteria that has found its way into the eye or the surrounding area. The body then responds to try and drive this bacteria out of your body and as a result you get streaming eyes, pus, swelling, itchiness, redness and more.
However, while this is the technical explanation for pinkeye, the term is actually used a little more broadly and can apply to pretty much any condition that is known to cause… well a pink eye. That means it might be used to describe allergic reactions or even acne in some cases.
In most cases, pinkeye is self-limiting, meaning that it will go away on its own given time. However, there are a number of things that you can do in order to speed up this recovery and to ease the symptoms in the meantime.
1. Stop Wearing Contact Lenses
One of the first things you should do if you have conjunctivitis is to remove your contact lenses and to stop putting them back in. Contact lenses come into direct contact with the surface of your eye and this can of course cause irritation and soreness. What’s more, is that they can actually encourage the spread of infection. In some cases, a dirty contact lens might even be what causes the infection!
Take out your contact lenses right away then and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly when you do and afterward. One of the other important reasons for doing this is that otherwise your eye can become so painful and swollen that the lenses end up stuck and you can’t get them out at all!