How to treat pink eye?

Master Doctor Pham Huy Vu Tung, Ophthalmology specialist, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said pink eye or conjunctivitis is a condition in which the eye has red inflammation, the eyelids are swollen, drooping, and flowing. liquid or crusting on the eyelashes.

Pink eye can occur in one or both eyes due to a virus, bacteria, allergen, or other cause. Treatment for pink eye will depend on the specific cause, as follows:

Pink eye caused by bacteria

Bacterial conjunctivitis requires examination and treatment with antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. The medication may be in the form of eye drops, ointments, or pills.

With ointments, patients should not worry too much about having difficulty applying the medicine. The reason is that the medicine only needs to touch the eyelashes to be effective.

Pink eye due to irritation

When a foreign object causes eye irritation and redness, people wash gently with warm water for 5 minutes and immediately remove the irritating object. Eyes will recover within 4 hours after washing.

If eye irritation is caused by chemicals, strong acids or alkalis such as detergents, rinse eyes with clean water and see a doctor as soon as possible to treat and limit eye damage.

Pink eye due to allergies

Doctors treat pink eye caused by allergies with antihistamines, steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, or decongestants. Patients can temporarily control symptoms by applying ice to their eyes.

Sexually transmitted infections

This cause is uncommon, but can be severe. People with the condition will need to be treated with antibiotics or antiviral drugs, depending on the cause.

If the patient is pregnant, the baby can become infected with bacteria during vaginal birth. In this case, antibiotic ointment should be used as prescribed and applied to the baby’s eyes to help prevent disease.

Treatment of pink eye caused by autoimmune disease

During treatment for other diseases, patients should consult their doctors about how to care for and control pink eye symptoms, if any, to reduce discomfort and complications of the disease.