Doctor: Is pink eye, which can be transmitted by just looking at it, really that scary?

I still remember that when I was in school, there were always a few students with "pink eye" in the class every spring. Everyone consciously kept a sufficient distance from the students with "pink eye", and even dared not look at them, because the classmates said that it was "pink eye" and whoever looked at them would be infected. It was not until I became a doctor that I learned that this "pink eye" was called conjunctivitis. Although conjunctivitis looks scary, it is far from the point where anyone who looks at it will be infected.

What is pink eye?

"Pink eye" is a folk name, because the patient's eyes are red, so it is called "pink eye". Traditional Chinese medicine calls it "heavenly red eyes" or "outburst fire eyes", while Western medicine refers to acute infectious conjunctivitis, which is divided into bacterial conjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis according to the different causes of infection.

Why is there a saying that "pink eye disease" can be transmitted by just looking at it? I personally think this is related to the way "pink eye disease" is transmitted. Infectious conjunctivitis is generally transmitted through contact, mainly through the "infected eye-hand-object-hand-healthy eye" and "infected eye-water-healthy eye" methods. In order to prevent children from being infected with conjunctivitis by contact with germs, some elderly people tell them to stay away from "pink eye disease" patients, and even exaggerate to the point of "it can be transmitted by just looking at it". To put it bluntly, through appropriate "exaggeration", children are prevented from contacting patients, thereby protecting children. Over time, one person spreads to ten, ten to a hundred, and there is a saying that "pink eye disease" can be transmitted by just looking at it.

What are the clinical manifestations of "pink eye"?

As the name suggests, the most typical clinical manifestation of "pink eye" is red eyes, which is called conjunctival congestion in medical terms. It can occur in one eye or both eyes at the same time. In addition, the infected eye has obvious irritation symptoms, such as tearing, burning sensation, foreign body sensation, etc. Many patients with "pink eye" cannot open their eyes after getting up in the morning because their eyes are "muddy" by a large amount of secretions. This is because after bacterial infection, there is a large amount of mucus or mucopurulent conjunctival secretions.

How to treat pink eye?

1. Once infectious conjunctivitis is confirmed, be sure to follow the doctor's advice and apply local antibacterial or antiviral eye drops according to the type of infection

2. Ensure hand hygiene. Each person needs a bottle of eye drops. Do not cross-use.

3. Patients with one eye should lie on their side, with the affected eye at the lowest position, to prevent contamination of the healthy eye. Do not rub the eye with your hands to prevent cross infection.

4. For excessive secretion, a non-irritating flushing agent can be used to flush the conjunctival sac to remove the secretion.

What should you pay special attention to if you have pink eye?

1. For acute infectious conjunctivitis, cold compress should be used instead of hot compress, otherwise it will aggravate the condition.

2. Pink eye is highly contagious, so patients should try to rest more at home to avoid infecting others

3. Pay attention to a light diet, avoid spicy food, quit smoking and drinking

4. Wear sunglasses when going out to avoid irritation from the sun, wind, dust, etc.

How to prevent "pink eye"? Because "pink eye" is generally transmitted through contact, it is very important to pay attention to personal eye hygiene.

1. Wash and iron used towels with boiling water every day

2. Wash your hands frequently, do not share towels, and do not wipe your eyes with dirty hands

3. Friends who like swimming should wear goggles

4. Raise awareness of protection, especially children must do a good job of health education

Summary: "Pink eye" is a very common eye disease. Spring is its peak season. Although it is highly contagious, it is far less serious than "being infected by just looking at it". Take scientific precautions against "pink eye" and you will never be afraid of it again.