What You Need to Know About Conjunctivitis: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
What is Conjunctivitis: Overview C onjunctivitis, commonly known as “pink eye,” is an infection or swelling in the outer membrane of your eyeball. Blood vessels in your conjunctiva, a thin membrane that lines part of your eye, become inflamed. This gives your eye the red or pink color that’s commonly associated with conjunctivitis. Symptoms of pink eye Since bacterial or viral conjunctivitis is very contagious, it’s important to pay attention to your symptoms. The condition can be passed along to others up to 2 weeks after it develops Trusted Source . Talk with your healthcare provider about treatment if you experience: pink or red-toned eyes gritty feeling in your eyes watery or thick discharge that builds up on your eyes at night itchiness in your eyes abnormal amount of tears What causes pink eye? The most common causes of pink eye are: Viruses or bacteria Bacterial conjunctivitis is most often caused by the same type of bacteria that cause strep throat and staph infections. Conju