Conjunctivitis, whether bacterial or viral, can be quite contagious. Some of the most common ways to get the contagious form of pink eye include:
- Forgetting to wash your hands often and touching your eyes;
- Reusing tissues and towels when wiping your face and eyes; or
- Not cleaning your contact lenses properly and using poorly fitting contact lenses or decorative contacts.
Children are usually most susceptible to getting pink eye from bacteria or viruses because they are in close contact with so many others in school or day care centers.
Signs of pink eye
- Mild eyelid swelling
- Redness in the white of the eye (conjunctiva) or the inner eyelid
- Increased tearing, mucous or pus production
- Eye irritation
- Foreign body sensation
- Itchiness of the eye
- Mild blurred vision due to mucus or pus
- Crusting of eyelashes in the morning, possibly gluing the eyes shut
