If you want to know what conjunctivitis is then you will discover that it has to do with mucous membrane that covers your eyelid and the white part of your eye, this is called the conjunctiva.  It becomes inflamed which isn’t very nice for you. If you are unlucky enough to have Conjunctivitis it is probably going to be one of the two main types.  Quite often you will call Conjunctivitis pink eye instead as this is what a lot of people call it.  You get pink eye because of bacteria or a viral infection or even a bad reaction to an allergy.

We don’t realize how important our eyes are until something happens to them.  There are so many different types of eye condition and it can really affect the way we live our lives.  However Conjunctivitis is probably not the worst sort of eye condition you can get.  If you have infected eyes then the Conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria.  This sort is very contagious and is usually spread with the germs on your hands.  If you get allergies then the Conjunctivitis will be because of seasonal allergies which is the most likely cause.

Suffering from Conjunctivitis is not all that nice and is certainly not something you are going to want to have for the rest of your life.  It can really make you very unhappy and you’ll not feel like doing things you might normally want to do.  This is why you should look for Conjunctivitis treatments.  Although you should also try and prevent it happening in the first place.  Conjunctivitis isn’t a nice condition so preventing it occurring will mean you don’t have to think about the different treatments.  Be careful about facial products and cosmetics you use on your face.  These products can act as irritants to your eyes and this is what causes Conjunctivitis.  The good thing is that you don’t have to worry about transferring the condition to other people as both irritant Conjunctivitis and allergic Conjunctivitis aren’t contagios so you don’t need to worry about passing it to your friends and family.

Symptoms of Conjunctivitis

If you have or think you might have conjunctivitis then you will want to know if you have it or not.  In order to be able to do this you should have a basic understanding of what the symptoms of conjunctivitis is.  If you aren’t sure, always contact your doctor as there might be other things wrong that you didn’t realize.  Infected Conjunctivitis tends to give the sufferer watery and sticky eyes, they also feel gritty and feel as if they’ve been somehow glued together when you first wake up in the morning.

Another one of the symptoms include a little bit of soreness.  The part of the eye that is normally white will also become red or pink, which is why Conjunctivitis has earned the nickname ‘pink eye’.  Quite often you will notice that Conjunctivitis often flares up with the onset of a common cold.  You might also find yourself having a runny nose, sore throat and even a mild fever.

If you have developed the allergic form of Conjunctivitis then you will notice that your eyelids are puffy and eyes are itchy.  There might even be some sort of discharge from the eyes which can be white, ropy or watery.

Who is at risk?
Nobody is totally safe from Conjunctivitis and because there are so many different causes it can be pretty difficult to prevent.  Always make sure that you do your best not to pass it onto anyone if you have the contagious variety.  I know that it’s very difficult, but make sure that you don’t rub your infected eyes as it will make matters worse and only provide very temporary relief.  Make sure you wash your hands well and often so that you kill the germs and bacteria as you don’t want these nasties to rub off on anyone else.  It’s amazing how much bacteria can spread when it’s on your hands.

allergic conjunctivitis treatment  Some people have a history of allergies and hay fever is probably one of the most common types of allergy.  If you often get allergies then you will find yourself at an increased risk of allergic conjunctivitis.  Avoid drinking wine as this has histamines in it.

infectious conjunctivitis treatment  When you have Infective Conjunctivitis with the pink eye then you will probably also have a cold which makes your problems with your eyes easier to detect.  In addition a person with known allergies knows whether or not they have allergic Conjunctivitis.

Treatment for infective Conjunctivitis that is caused by bacteria includes the antibiotic ointment or antibiotic drops will help a lot.  For viral infections the condition is normally allowed to go its course and heal itself, in the same way you would allow a cold to go away on its own.  Generally however, it is difficult to determine whether infective Conjunctivitis has resulted from bacteria or a virus so oftentimes, no treatment is prescribed.

No matter what type of conjunctiviis you have always be very strict with your hygiene by cleaning your eyes and hands with warm soapy water.  Always use your own towels and never allow any other member of your family to share them otherwise the problem may pass onto them.  The same goes with pillows.  If you are a contact lens wearer then make sure you don’t wearer them until the problem with your conjunctivitis has passed.