A Back-to-school Pink Eye Checkup

When kids head to class this fall, they’ll likely be exposed to more than just the ABC’s and 123’s. Unfortunately, schools tend to be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria – including the dreaded Pink Eye. Are you prepared for when your child catches it this back–to-school season? If you’re like seventy per cent of Canadian parents, then you’re not!

Irritation from pink eye is felt beyond its itchiness and discomfort. Bouts of pink eye mean children have to stay home from school – this means that you, your partner, or a babysitter needs to stay home too. That’s no way to start off the school year!

So what can parents do to nip pink eye in the bud if it finds its way into your household?

Keep reading to find out about a few easy solutions!

Eyes wide open

Pink eye – or conjunctivitis – is one of the most common eye infections in children. In fact, 37% of Canadian parents say their child has suffered from pink eye at least once. Fairly easy to recognize, pink eye causes the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelid to become red, itchy, watery, and produce discharge.

Pink eye itself is actually a symptom of an underlying condition, and not a condition in and of itself. “The three main causes of pink eye are bacterial infections, viral infections and allergies,” says Dr. Iris Greenwald, a family doctor and mother of three.

“The first step in treating your child’s pink eye is to know what’s causing it,” says Greenwald. “Bacteria are probably the most common cause. Bacterial conjunctivitis can be identified by feelings of itchiness and or sand in the eye, accompanied by redness and a thick yellow and white discharge. Parents may find that their children’s eyelids stick together after sleeping. When most people say ‘pink eye,’ they are actually talking about bacterial conjunctivitis.”

“A mucus-like discharge also tends to occur with viral pink eye,” says Dr. Greenwald. “But this discharge tends to be more watery, and is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as a sore throat or tenderness in front of the ear.”

Finally, pink eye brought on by allergies appears along with other symptoms, such as itchy eyes and runny nose.

Kids share pink eye more easily than their toys!

Contrary to popular belief, direct hand-to-hand contact isn’t the only way to spread highly-contagious pink eye. In fact, a child can catch pink eye indirectly too, simply by handling the same object as a child who’s already infected or by being exposed to their coughing and sneezing.

Keep it to yourself!

Dr. Greenwald recommends some important steps for parents to treat the symptoms of bacterial pink eye and help stop the spread. “Antibiotic eye and ear drops – I usually recommend the Polysporineye/ear drops— are important to have on-hand when pink eye strikes. Not only do they help relieve the uncomfortable symptoms, the sooner you administer the drops, the faster your child can start to heal and get back to school.”

To ensure the infection is completely eliminated, apply one or two drops, four times a day for a full seven to 10 days. It is important to continue to treat the area for the fully recommended duration, even if symptoms have subsided, to discourage a recurrence of the same infection.

Dr. Greenwald suggests using a warm compress for pink eye resulting from a bacterial or viral infection and a cold compress when it’s caused by allergies.

Perhaps even more daunting than pink eye itself is the tedious task of administering eye drops. “As a doctor and mom, I’ve dealt with my share of squirmy children, and inserting eye drops can be tricky,” says Dr. Greenwald. “The trick is to place the drops in the corner of a closed eye, so when they open their eyes and re-close them the drops should comfortably spread throughout the eyes.”

The independent survey was commissioned by POLYSPORIN^® and conducted by Decima Research in the winter/spring of 2007. This national sample of 1,000 Canadians 18 years or older is accurate within +/- 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.