What Causes Pink Eye?

It can be irritating when your eyes have an infection. One of the most common ones is pink eye. It can make you feel self-conscious, affecting work events and your daily activities. To avoid getting the pink eye condition, be aware of what causes it. Here are some facts about pink eye.

What Is Pink Eye?

Pink eye or conjunctivitis is an infection or inflammation afflicting the eye membrane or conjunctiva. It is what lines the eyelids covering the white portion of your eyes. When the tiny blood capillaries in your blood vessels are inflamed, they become visible and cause your eyes to look pink or reddish. Though this condition is quite irritating, it hardly affects your vision.

Symptoms

The many symptoms of pink eye include:

 

• Pink or redness in the inner eyelids or the white of your eyes
   

• Swollen lymph nodes
   

• Excessive tears
   

• Accumulation of yellow discharge. The discharge concentrates and dries over the eye often after sleeping. Sometimes, your eyelids stick together when you awake.
   

• Swollen conjunctiva
   

• Blurry vision
   

• Whitish or greenish semiliquid discharge from the eyes
   

• Itchy, burning eyes

Types and Causes of Pink Eye

Several forms of pink eye exist. Each results from different causes.

Bacterial Pink Eye

Bacterial conjunctivitis is an infection of the eyes caused by various bacteria. They include Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Staphylococcus aureus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumonia, or Moraxella catarrhalis. This form of pink eye is contagious, especially with certain factors surrounding selective bacteria.

When it is present in children without behavioral alterations or fever, they can continue their daily routine without being infectious. However, the condition is still more prevalent in kids than in adults. 

Pink Eye From Irritants

Conjunctivitis of this kind results from foreign bodies landing in your eye. It may also come from fumes, dust, smoke, or chemicals. Because of its causes, it is not contagious and may result from improper care or wearing contact lenses. 

Viral Conjunctivitis

As the name suggests, this type of pink eye comes from infections from several viruses like adenovirus. For this reason, it is highly contagious and may sometimes cause extensive outbreaks depending on the type of virus.

Allergic Pink Eye

Allergic pink eye results from the way your body defends itself from allergens. These may include certain medications, molds, dander from pets, cosmetics, or pollen from grasses, plants, trees, and weeds. It is more prevalent in people with allergic conditions. These include eczema, asthma, and hay fever.

The illness may appear seasonally when weather conditions increase the presence of allergens. Other times, it may occur throughout the year due to allergic reactions to animal dander and dust mites. Due to the nature of this condition, it is not contagious and only affects you when you have allergies.

Giant Papillary Pink Eye

It results from the long-term use of artificial eyes or contact lenses. Medical experts claim that it may be your body’s response to a chronic unfamiliar body in the eye. Ophthalmia neonatorum is a rare and severe type of pinkeye that often affects newborns. It comes from dangerous bacteria that can cause permanent vision issues failing immediate medical assistance.

For more about the causes of pink eye, visit Berris Optical at our office in Rocky River, Ohio. Call (440) 571-7100 to book an appointment today.