Conjunctivitis: Treatment
A condition in which the (membranes lining the and covering the white part of the ) become inflamed or infected. Also called .
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About Conjunctivitis Treatment
In more than half of all people who have , the goes away without within a week. Antibiotic drops or ointment can speed up recovery. Adverse effects are very rare.
makes people’s red and inflamed. It often affects both eyes because the can easily spread from one to the other. Your eyes get watery and produce a yellowish-white discharge that makes your stick together. They may become very sore too. Conjunctivitis is contagious but often gets better within a week, even without any . So it is often enough to simply wait.
is usually caused by and . Because conjunctivitis usually goes away so quickly, though, it is generally not worth doing tests to find out if it is a bacterial or . Doctors often prescribe antibiotics just in case, in the form of drops or ointments. Antibiotics only work against bacteria, though, and not against viruses, so they are not always effective.
Some people use non-antibiotic drops. The use of cold or warm compresses is common too. But there is not enough research on these approaches to be able to say whether they have a benefit, no effect, or are possibly even harmful. Sometimes is linked to an allergy. Then it is treated with allergy medicines like antihistamines…
