Pink Eye and Your Child
Pink eye is most commonly spread in young children of preschool age by direct contact or droplets in the air from a cough or sneeze. For this reason, it is highly contagious. The best medicine for pink eye is prevention. Teach your children to practice good hygiene by example. Wash hands regularly. Show your youngster how to wash their hands with soap. A good hint is to remind them to scrub thoroughly while singing a simple song such as their ABCs or “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. This will encourage your child to wash their hands for a longer period of time.
Parents and caregivers treating the child should be especially cautious and wash their hands frequently. Also, avoid sharing towels. Another good suggestion is to change the child’s pillowcase regularly to help prevent the spread of pink eye.
Older children should be taught never to share eye makeup. If your teenager wears contact lenses, it is always recommended to wash them thoroughly. If an infection occurs, your son or daughter should not wear them until the eye, or eyes, have fully recovered from pink eye.
How do you tell if your daughter or son has conjunctivitis?
Symptoms of pink eye include itchy or gritty feeling in one or both eyes and pink or red appearance in the affected eye. Secretions or tearing of the eye or eyes is extremely common. A child will often wake up in the morning with their eyes matted shut. The secretions may range in color from a yellow or green, to a brown. The youngster may complain that it feels like they have something in their eyes. Sometimes, blurriness in vision may occur.
It is wise to call the doctor or pediatrician to seek medical advice. Due to the high risk to other patients, some offices and clinics may have special procedures to help control contamination of an entire waiting room.
Your doctor or pediatrician may perform lab tests on the secretions from the eye. The tests will be to determine the cause of the infection. A medication may be prescribed to get rid of the infection or simply help to relieve symptoms. A warm or cool compress could be recommended to ease discomfort.
The medication is typically an eye drop, but an ointment is sometimes easier to apply. The medicine is typically applied to the affected eye or eyes. It is not recommended to share prescriptions even if it appears another member of the family has pink eye. Improvement of symptoms should be noticed within one to two days after the beginning of treatment.
The best method to apply eye drops is by pulling out the lower lid. It may be easier if the person looks up towards the ceiling when doing this, Drop the prescribed amount of medicine in the eye. Let go of the lid and allow the eye to close. Avoid closing the eye too tightly.
When applying ointment, follow the same procedure to open the eye. Begin applying the ointment in the eye by making a thin line from the part of the eye nearest the nose to the side of the eye towards the ear. Again, allow the eye to gently close.
The course of treatment typically will range from one to two weeks. It is best to complete the course of treatment fully to help avoid reoccurring infections. A person is considered to be contagious for 24 hours after the first dose of medicine has been administered. Keep your child home from school, the first day of treatment, to avoid spreading the condition to other children.
For most children, pink eye is a very common childhood ailment that has no long lasting affects. Without treatment, conjunctivitis can turn into a severe infection. It is always best to consult a doctor if you suspect your child may have conjunctivitis.
