Blog vol 3. 51. Pink Eye, a cold in the eye
When we use the word “pink”, we think flowers or “ballet pink” or more recently, the battle against breast cancer.
An eye that is pink is not well. Not all pink eyes are “pink eye”, some are the result of allergies or dryness or other irritants. Pink eyes that come into our office are taken seriously as the condition “pink eye” is highly contagious. All the measures we used to contain COVID are very useful here.
Pink eye is a class of disease that is caused by an infection of the adenovirus. We know that the coronavirus is responsible for COVID and that the coronavirus is now classified as endemic in most parts of the world. The adenovirus has been endemic for a long-time; it is the same virus that is responsible for the common cold. Like the coronavirus, this virus infects other tissues besides our respiratory tracts.
The virus must make actual contact with the eye, where it settles in and produces the classic “pink” eye. The part of the eye that is usually white becomes pink or even red. Usually, the infection will start in one eye and spread to the other eye, usually in a milder form. The infection occurs during cold season, from October to May. If you have a cold and you inadvertently touch your eye with the virus, you can give yourself pink eye. You can also touch a surface that is contaminated, touch the eye, and voila. It is very contagious by contact.
The usual symptoms are extreme light sensitivity, a watery discharge (not pus which comes from a bacterial infection), and blurry vision. It will feel like something is in your eye; it will itch, burn, and be “gloopy” (a direct quote from one of my patientsJ) and usually comes on the heels of a cold or flu.
We use the “rule of 8’s” when it comes to pink eye, technically called epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). 8’s are wild because it is usually an adenovirus strain 8 that causes 8 days of an infectious red eye, 8 days of immune response, and then 8 days of resolution, a process that can last more than 2-3 weeks.
Treatment is for symptoms with the use of cold compresses and lubricating drops. More severe cases may require steroids to get the inflammation down. Do NOT go to the pharmacy and get Pink Eye drops from Johnson and Johnson as that drop is an antibiotic and pink eye is caused by a virus (read last week’s blog on bacteria and resistance
here). If you suspect pink eye, be very careful to not touch your eyes but if you do touch them then immediately wash your hands with soap and water. Remember: very contagious by contact. The virus must get in your eye.
Prevention is key, so in our office, any suspected case of EKC is quickly isolated, all surfaces washed down thoroughly, use of gloves mandatory, longer disinfection with bleach or alcohol on all instruments, and a report to the office staff and all involved that EKC is in the house.
All this means that you will need to isolate to keep from spreading it. Pink eye is literally a cold in your eye and we all know about colds.
All the best with this one,
‘til next week,
the good doctor
