If you’ve ever seen a case of conjunctivitis, you understand why it’s also known as pink eye since it makes the sclera of one’s eye pink or red, via CDC. But besides changing the appearance of your eyes, the CDC explains that conjunctivitis can cause your body to produce more tears than normal.
Now, you might have heard that pink eye is the result of either viruses or bacteria, but as the CDC points out, these are just two of the possible causes behind a case of conjunctivitis. Parasites, fungi, and ameba can also cause pink eye. So too can allergens, chemicals, and air pollution. Even something as simple as a loose eyelash being in one’s eye could be the reason for pink eye. And for contact lens wearers, not cleaning your lenses correctly and/or keeping them in your eyes for too long could result in conjunctivitis. In fact, if your contact lenses move around instead of staying in place, that could be a red flag of pink eye. Other signs of conjunctivitis can include burning, irritated, or itchy eyes.
Of course, if you think you or someone else has pink eye, contact a health care professional especially if you’re experiencing other problems like extremely red eyes, eye pain, blurry vision, and/or sensitivity to light, per CDC. And let a medical professional know if you’ve been using antibiotics for 24 hours to treat conjunctivitis diagnosed as bacterial in origin but are experiencing either no improvement or worsening symptoms.