If you wake up one day and your eye feels really warm, irritated and has a crusty film at the edges, you may wonder what is going on! Conjunctivitis, more commonly referred to as pink eye, is a relatively common eye infection or irritation that can affect anyone at any age.

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane of your eye and covers the white part of your eyeball. The small blood vessels in your eye become inflamed due to the infection, and that is why your eye has a red or pinkish hue to it.

Our team at AFC Urgent Care Boulder can help diagnose conjunctivitis and can help come up with an appropriate treatment plan for you!

How Do You Contract Conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis is a reaction to an external hazard, so you can get it from a variety of sources. A virus, bacteria, allergies, a foreign object in your eye or a chemical splash into your eye can all irritate your sensitive eye membranes enough to develop conjunctivitis.

Most of the time, conjunctivitis cases aren’t serious and will go away with some simple treatments, but it is important to be seen by a medical professional to rule out a different and potentially more serious diagnosis. If you have any of the symptoms outlined below, you may have a case of conjunctivitis.

Pink Eye Symptoms

• Redness in one or both eyes
• Eye itchiness
• A gritty feeling in your eye
• Trouble opening your eye in the morning due to a crust that formed overnight

When Is a Case of Conjunctivitis Serious?

If it goes untreated, conjunctivitis can eventually begin to affect your vision. The longer you wait to address your symptoms, the higher your risk is of having a more severe infection. Thankfully, most pink eye cases go away on their own with proper rest.

While you wait for your case of conjunctivitis to heal, you can apply a cold compress to relieve discomfort and stay hydrated. Otherwise, the best thing to do is take the appropriate steps to avoid spreading it to another person.

Preventing the Spread of Pink Eye

• Wash your hands often.
• Avoid touching your eyes with unwashed hands.
• Don’t share towels or washcloths.
• Throw away any eye makeup or mascara tubes after an infection and get new ones.

If you are concerned that your recent eye irritation may be related to conjunctivitis, we can help! Come see us at AFC Urgent Care Boulder.