Pink EyeHouston, TX
Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is a common eye condition that often causes itchy, red and painful eyes. The main culprits that cause pink eye include allergies, viruses and bacteria. Both bacterial and viral pink eye is highly contagious. Pink eye can affect children and adults, easily spreading from germs passed through touch. If you or a loved one has pink eye, it is crucial to seek immediate care.
With our treatment, we can ensure you are on the right path toward recovery. Since there are various types of pink eye, professional treatment can help provide patients with proper care. While general physicians will need patients to wait a week or two for an appointment, urgent care can get you the care you need when you need it.
We can provide the professional insight and pink eye treatment you need to avoid spreading the condition and recover quickly.
Benefits of Pinkeye Treatment
Anyone can get conjunctivitis, as it is highly contagious. Thus, it is important to seek immediate medical assistance to treat the symptoms. With our treatment process, we can:
- Conduct an examination of the patient’s eyes
- Diagnose the type of pinkeye
- Customize the proper treatment to meet the patient’s needs
- Conduct a culture test (If symptoms are severe)
- Identify any foreign elements in the eye that can cause a high-risk condition
- Guide the patient on how to avoid spreading pinkeye or catching it again
The type of treatment will vary per the specific type of pinkeye and the severity of the patient's condition. In some cases, the patient may only need some anti-inflammatory medication. In other cases, the patient may need to just wait it out.
What is Pinkeye?
This eye condition typically refers to an inflammation of the clear, thin covering of your eye's white parts and inside your eyelid, called the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is a watery, transparent layer but has blood vessels. This transparent layer overlays your eye's sclera.
Anything (bacteria or virus) can trigger inflammation and causes blood vessels to swell and dilate. This is the main cause of blood-red eyes. Patients can also develop pinkeye due to any allergic reactions such as pollens, air irritants, contaminated pool water, smoke, cosmetics and contact lenses. Some sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia can cause pinkeye as well.
Symptoms of pinkeye that patients need to watch out for, include:
- Swollen eyes
- Excessive tearing up
- Burning sensation or itching
- Pink discoloration
- Sensitivity to bright light
- Liquid discharge from your eyes
"Pinkeye can affect children and adults, easily spreading from germs passed through touch."
Treatment Options
When it comes to treating pinkeye, we will customize the treatment to meet the patient’s needs. The goals of our pinkeye treatment are to:
- To reduce the course of contagious infections
- To prevent conjunctivitis from spreading
- To provide appropriate conjunctivitis treatment (depending on the cause)
The several types of pinkeye include allergic pinkeye, viral pinkeye, bacterial conjunctivitis and chemical conjunctivitis.
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By visiting us as soon as possible, our team can help get you the professional treatment you need. Instead of waiting around and allowing the symptoms to get worse, we can provide you with stronger medication and treatment options instead of ineffective store-bought products.
Allergic Pinkeye Treatment
In these cases, our doctors ensure that they remove the irritant first, if possible. In mild cases, they use artificial tears or cool compresses to relieve the discomfort. In severe cases, however, doctors prescribe an anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal medications or antihistamines. If you have persistent conjunctivitis, you may be prescribed topical eye drops.
Viral Pink Eye Treatment
Viral pinkeye is another common cause of pinkeye and occurs due to contagious viral infections. It is contagious and easily transmitted through sneezing or coughing. Unfortunately, no ointment or drops can cure viral conjunctivitis until the virus runs its course of two to four weeks. Antibiotics will not help either. To treat viral conjunctivitis, our doctors use artificial tear solution or cool compresses. For severe cases, doctors prescribe steroids drops to reduce inflammation and discomfort.
Bacterial Conjunctivitis
Bacterial conjunctivitis is one of the most common causes of pink eyes and caused by streptococcal or staphylococcal bacteria in the respiratory system. Poor hygiene, insects, physical contact with people and contaminated facial lotion and eye makeup are the main causes of the infection. People who share their contact lenses with someone or use improperly-cleaned eye lenses can also cause bacterial conjunctivitis.
To treat bacterial conjunctivitis, doctors mostly prescribe ointments and antibiotic eye solutions. Although this type of pink eye improves within two to three days, make sure that you complete the entire course of medicines to prevent the reoccurrence of bacterial conjunctivitis.
Chemical conjunctivitis
Exposure to air pollutants, chlorine (in pool water) or any other noxious chemicals can cause chemical conjunctivitis. Seeking immediate medical assistance is the right thing to do if a chemical (whether mild or harsh) spills in your eyes. Following a standard treatment, our doctors treat chemical conjunctivitis by carefully washing your infected eyes with saline.
Besides that, topical steroids are also prescribed to speed up healing. Chemical conjunctivitis can be very serious and can lead to permanent eye damage or even loss of sight.
Questions Answered on This Page
Q. How contagious is pink eye?
Q. Can't I just stay at home and wait for the pink eye to go away?
Q. Are there different types of pink eye?
People Also Ask
5 Great Questions To Ask Your Urgent Care Physician About Pink Eye:
Q.My eyes are red and itchy. Do I have pink eye?
A. Possible Answer: If your eyes are red and itchy, it is possible that you have pink eye. However, there are multiple conditions that can cause red and itchy eyes. A professional examination by our physician can help to determine the most effective course of action.
Q. How long can pink eye last without medication?
A. Possible Answer: The length of time pink eye can last is dependent on the type of pink eye that you have. As far as not getting medication, it is recommended to get professional treatment for pink eye unless otherwise instructed by a physician. The severity and type of pink eye are just a few factors that go into this decision process.
Q. If a friend or a family member has pink eye, can I get it?
A. Possible Answer: It may be possible for a friend or family member to pass it to you through the spread of the infection. This infection can happen in a variety of different ways but if you believe that you may have pink eye, professional diagnosis and treatment are recommended.
Q. How close do you have to be to somebody to get pink eye?
A. Possible Answer: Proximity to someone with pink eye is just one of the factors that can go into contracting it. Seeing a trained physician is recommended to find out about your specific situation and whether your symptoms may be pointing to pink eye.
Q. I got chemicals in my eyes, is there a chance that I could get pink eye?
A. Possible Answer: Contracting chemical conjunctivitis can be the result of exposure to certain chemicals. Seeing a trained physician to find out about your specific situation is recommended to determine if you may have pink eye.
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Overall, pinkeye is highly contagious, particularly in children. If not treated, it can impair your vision. We value our patients and want them to stay safe and healthy. Our team will guide patients on how self-care can prevent infections.
These options include:
- Avoid touching eyes with your hands
- Practice good hygiene
- Avoid sharing your contact lenses or towel
- Do not use old cosmetics (eye makeup)
- Wash your hands before touching your contact lenses
As an urgent care provider, we can provide professional treatment when patients need it. If you need treatment, either give us a call or just walk in. We will have a qualified medical professional see you as soon as possible. There is no reason to continue living with pinkeye, suffering from the symptoms and risking the spread of pinkeye to others. Let our treatment help you restore the health of your eyes and your quality of life.
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