"My eye hurts!" Your little one comes home from school complaining of burning and itching of one of the eyes. There appears to be more tearing from that eye and there is a reddened color associated with it. Chances are your child has contracted pinkeye.
Pinkeye, which is another name for conjunctivitis can be both viral or bacterial. It is very easy to spead and is contagious. The main key to preventing the spread of pinkeye is appropriate handwashing. Unfortunately, especially with children, good handwashing is not always practiced. It is highly important that we teach our children to wash their hands often and thoroughly. We should teach them also about not sharing certain personal hygiene items such as wash cloths or towels.
Symptoms of conjunctivitis may include eye redness, swollen or red eyelids, more tearing than usual, burning, or itching. Anyone diagnosed with conjunctivitis should not return to school or work until improved. If it is a viral conjunctivitis, this could be 3 to 5 days; however, if it is a bacterial conjunctivitis, 24 hours with antibiotic treatment should be sufficient.
With children, it is best to seek the advice and attention of your family care provider. Help your child maintain good hygiene and healthy handwashing habits, which will not only help to prevent conjunctivitis, but the germs of many other bacterial and viral illnesses. A good resource I used in writing this article is http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/tc/pinkeye-topic-overview, which is a very helpful web site for many illnesses.
We have been blessed thus far with a mild winter, however, that also has allowed for the spread of many viral or bacterial illnesses. As adults and parents, we know ways to prevent the spread of these germs. We need to be just as adamant in teaching our children how to keep not only themselves, but their schoolmates and friends healthy as well!
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