Pink Eye: Emergency Room Near You
Pink eye is very common and chances are if you have not suffered form it yourself, then you know someone who has. The facts and figures bear this out as pink eye affects as much as 6 million people in the US and it is also among the most researched medical urgent care terms online. Pink eye is also known as conjunctivitis and can be very irritating, not to mention very contagious. It is a condition that causes the inflammation, reddening and swelling of the conjunctiva, hence why it is called conjunctivitis. The conjunctiva is the mucous membrane of the eyelid and it is normally clear when healthy. However, when it is infected, it swells up and becomes red hence why the condition is known as pink eye as your eye usually appears pink or red. Though it can be irritating, uncomfortable and not so attractive to look at, pink eye is usually not something to worry about and will clear after a number of days. It is however important to know more about it such as the causes, the common symptoms and when you should visit the emergency room for the same so that you have all the information you need to be able to tackle it if you do get it. This article will therefore be a great resource as it will look to go into detail on all of that.
We are going to start by taking a look at the causes of pink eye. There are three main causes of pink eye, which means that there are three types of pink. The main cause of pink eye, causing over 70% of the cases of pink eye, are viruses. Viral pink eye can be as a result of the common cold, chickenpox, and measles among other viruses. It usually resolves itself after 7 to 10 days and doesn’t require to be treated. The other cause of pink eye are bacteria, which cause bacterial pink eye. Since it is caused by a bacteria infection, it usually comes with more significant eye discharge which can be greenish or yellowish in color. If you have bacterial pink eye, you should seek medical attention as it will require to be treated by antibiotics. You should also don’t wear contact lenses if you have it. The other cause of pink eye is allergies, resulting in allergic conjunctivitis, which is usually as a result of seasonal allergies. If you have allergic conjunctivitis, you may experience a runny nose, itchy eyes, dark circles around your eye, sneezing among others. Here, most cases are handled by over-the-counter antihistamines. Pink eye may also be as a result of chemicals and fumes which can cause the normally moist conjunctiva to be dry and swollen.
It is also important to note that pink eye is extremely contagious, especially viral pink eye. You should therefore thoroughly wash your hands as well as avoiding sharing personal items such as towels especially with those with the infection. Next up we are going to look at the symptoms of pink eye that you should look out for. They include itching or a burning sensation in your eyelids, which usually makes you want to scratch your eyelids making our eyes appear redder. Speaking of, redness of the eye is yet another symptom of pink eye. Viral pink eye is usually the one that comes with severe reddening of the eye. Another symptom of pink eye is severe tearing from the infected eye. Since pink eye causes the conjunctiva to dry up, in response your eye will try to secrete even more tears than normal to try and counter this dryness. Therefore, if you have pink eye, your eyes are likely to be teary most of the time. Another sign of pink eye is a clear and thick drainage from the infected eye. As mentioned earlier, bacterial pink eye usually leads to the most discharge.
While pink eye usually resolves on its own, there are certain signs and symptoms that indicate that you should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible to be attended to. If you have pink eye that refuses to resolve on its own, that is it has become chronic, then you should head over to an emergency room near you as soon as possible to be attended to. If your pink eye doesn’t resolve after 7 to 10 days, then you should head over to the emergency room. Other than the duration, the severity of symptoms should also govern when you seek emergency care or not. If your pink eye is accompanied by severe pain and redness as well as blurry vision and severe sensitivity to light, then you should also head over to an emergency room near you as soon as you can to be attended. Another red flag to look out for is if the front of your eyes begin to swell. This usually indicates that the lymph nodes that are located there have been infected by a virus and you should be attended to as soon as possible.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you will be able to know the symptoms of pink eye as well as when you should seek emergency care and as such, you will be able to get the treatment you need for the same.
