Pink Eye Infection: Learn Facts, Relieve Your Worries

News Desk

Islamabad: The public need not panic about Pink Eye as it is not a pandemic and occurs periodically throughout the year. In most cases, patients recover fully without any specific treatment as the immune system fights off the infection, stated Eye Expert.

Adenoviral conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, is a viral infection of the eye that often resolves on its own within one or two weeks without medication.

Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital Consultant Eye Surgeon Dr Inam Ul Haq Khan said that early symptoms involve itching, watery discharge, redness and pain in the affected eye.

Sometimes only one eye is infected initially, while the other eye later becomes involved as the virus spreads, he added.

Dr Inam Ul Haq further said that the viral infection can also cause systemic symptoms like cough, fever, diarrhoea and swollen lymph nodes in the neck or around the ears which reflect the body’s overall immune response.

Eye Surgeon recommended building up one’s natural immunity through proper nutrition, including soup, boiled eggs and adequate hydration.

He also noted that while gentle eye washing with clean water and artificial tears can relieve symptoms, home remedies should be avoided as they may make the problem worse.

Consultants frequently recommend antibiotic eye medications but these medicines don’t treat the underlying virus directly; instead, they prevent secondary bacterial infections that can develop when the virus weakens the eye’s defences, Eye Consultant explained.

To limit viral transmission, Dr Inam advised that those with pink eyes avoid close contact with people with weaker immunity, like children and the elderly, during the infectious period. Resting properly allows the body to mobilise its immune system, he added.

Eye Consultant underlined that most cases of pink eye resolve within a few weeks without needing to see an ophthalmologist. However, he advised consulting an eye specialist promptly if vision becomes blurry or symptoms seem particularly severe. APP