Common Symptoms

  • Redness in one or both eyes
  • Itchiness in one or both eyes
  • A gritty feeling in one or both eyes
  • A discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night that may prevent your eye or eyes from opening in the morning
  • Tearing

Pink eye is caused by inflammation in the white part of the eye and inside the eye lids. It is most commonly caused by bacteria, viruses or allergies. If your child develops pink eye they may have red painful eyes, green/yellow discharge, crusting, small amount of swelling, itching, and sensitivity to light. If it is caused by a viral or bacterial process, it can be spread easily from person to person by touching someone with symptoms or touching contaminated surfaces. It is important to have good hand washing when in contact with someone who has pink eye.  If you think your child has pink eye you should call your medical provider to see if they need medications and use warm compresses to the eye to allow for mild relief of symptoms until further evaluation.