Pink Eye

Summary

Conjunctivitis is the medical name for pink eye. It involves inflammation of the outer layer of the eye and inside of the eyelid. It can cause swelling, itching, burning, discharge, and redness. Causes include:

• Bacterial or viral infection
• Allergies
• Substances that cause irritation
• Contact lens products, eye drops, or eye ointments

Pink eye usually does not affect vision. Infectious pink eye can easily spread from one person to another. The infection will clear in most cases without medical care, but bacterial pink eye needs treatment with antibiotic eye drops or ointment.

NIH: National Eye Institute

National Eye Institute

Patient Handouts

• Allergic conjunctivitis Medical Encyclopedia
• Conjunctivitis or pink eye Medical Encyclopedia
• Vernal conjunctivitis Medical Encyclopedia

Find an Expert

• American Optometric Association American Optometric Association
• National Eye Institute National Eye Institute

Encyclopedia

• Chemosis Medical Encyclopedia
• Neonatal conjunctivitis Medical Encyclopedia

Treatments and Therapies

• Choosing Wisely When It Comes to Eye Care: Antibiotics for Pink Eye American Academy of Ophthalmology

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Conjunctivitis National Institutes of Health

Start Here

• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Pink Eye National Eye Institute
• Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Children

• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) in Newborns Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis) (For Parents) Nemours Foundation

Diagnosis and Tests

• Dilating Eye Drops American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

Statistics and Research

• Eye Health Data and Statistics National Eye Institute

Images

• Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) VisualDX

Teenagers

• Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis) Nemours Foundation

Journal Articles

• Pink Eye

Specifics

• What Are Eye Allergies? American Academy of Ophthalmology