Avoid touching your eyes with unwashed hands. Do not share items used by an infected person; for example, do not share pillows, washcloths, towels, eye drops, eye or face makeup, makeup brushes, contact lenses, contact lens storage cases, or eyeglasses.
This depends on what caused the pink eye and the conditions of the surface on which it lives. However, most bacteria are not able to survive after 2 to 8 hours, though some last for 2 days or more. Viruses tend to be more hardy, with most surviving 24 to 48 hours.
Change pillowcases daily while infection is active. Don't share personal items, such as washcloths, medications, makeup or eyeglasses. Be sure to throw away eye drops, solutions or eye makeup that were used while the family was infected.
All the Different Types of Pink Eye
Bacterial pink eye requires antibiotics to treat correctly. Take the whole course of antibiotics (these are usually eye drops), throw out any eye makeup or contacts that you've used, wash your pillowcases daily (or at least change them daily), and do not touch your eyes.
Don't share towels, sheets, or pillows.
Avoid sharing items that you use on your face, including pillowcases, washcloths, and sheets, as they can carry the virus or bacteria. Be sure to promptly wash any linens that have been used by someone with pink eye.
Wash Sheets and Linens
Sleeping on the same bacteria filled pillowcase every night can only cause you severe problems— like pink eye. As one of the first steps you should take when discovering that either yourself or your child has pink eye is to wash all of your sheets and linens in hot water.
Don't share towels or bedding
When someone in your household contracts pink eye, avoid sharing towels and bedding. It's also important to launder washcloths, hand towels, and bath towels frequently in hot water.
Medicate At Night
“Germ-caused conjunctivitis intensifies when your eyes are closed. That's why it tends to get worse at night when you're asleep,” says Petersen. “To combat that, put any prescribed antibiotic ointment in your eyes before you go to bed. That way it will prevent crusting.”
Most cases of pink eye are caused by adenovirus but also can be caused by other viruses, including herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus. Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can occur along with colds or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as a sore throat.
Avoid touching or rubbing your eyes. This can worsen the condition or spread it to your other eye. Avoid sharing personal items, such as makeup, eye drops, towels, bedding, contact lenses and containers, and eyeglasses. Do not use the same eye products for your infected and non-infected eyes.
The symptoms of pink eye are usually noticeable from the moment you wake up. Your eyes may be crusty and glued shut, so you might have trouble opening them. After cleaning your eye(s), you might notice redness and inflammation around the white part of your eyeball.
For bacterial conjunctivitis, the symptoms usually begin 24 to 72 hours after exposure to the infection. For viral conjunctivitis, the onset of symptoms can range from 12 hours to 12 days after infection. The symptoms can persist for several days, or rarely, for 2 to 3 weeks.
What is the incubation period of Conjunctivitis and how long is it contagious? The incubation period for pink eye is 24 to 72 hours and the infection is communicable throughout the course of the active infection.
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis (pink eye) are very contagious. They can spread easily from person to person. You can greatly reduce the risk of getting conjunctivitis or spreading it to someone else by following some simple steps for good hygiene.
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis cause similar symptoms, including redness, swelling, itching, and discharge. However, viral conjunctivitis usually causes a thin, watery discharge, while bacterial conjunctivitis causes a thicker discharge.
Stages of bacterial pink eye
A typical bacterial case may start like viral pink eye, with slight irritation and redness. Then drainage in the form of pus will become noticeable. This is usually white, yellow or yellow-green in color. As it dries, it will leave a crusty film on the eyelids.
Viral conjunctivitis (pink eye) symptoms often get worse on the second or third day before they start to get better. Viral conjunctivitis is also more likely to spread to both eyes than bacterial conjunctivitis, though the bacterial form can also sometimes spread.
Regardless of the cause, there is no evidence that direct exposure to sunlight will help pink eye, and too much sun can be bad for your eyes, just like your skin.
Allergic Pinkeye Treatment
Allergic pinkeye isn't contagious. You can go to work or school without worrying about giving it to someone else. Wash clothes and pillowcases often. It might also help to shower or bathe before bed.
The Incubation Period For Conjunctivitis is Long
Since bacteria can survive on surfaces for around eight hours, you could accidentally be contaminating surfaces around your home, office or classroom without realizing that you're spreading conjunctivitis.
Most people will need antibiotic treatment for 5–7 days. A doctor will advise on when to return to work or school, but people should not attend if they have symptoms and will be working closely with others. Pink eye caused by a virus is usually highly contagious for 10–14 days.
Pinkeye that's caused by bacteria can spread to others as soon as symptoms appear and for as long as there's discharge from the eye — or until 24 hours after antibiotics are started. Conjunctivitis that's caused by a virus is generally contagious before symptoms appear and can remain so as long as the symptoms last.
Preventing pink eye
You can also catch pink eye by touching or shaking hands with someone who has the infection and who has rubbed their eyes. Less commonly (among kids, anyway), pink eye can be transmitted through eye makeup that's contaminated by germs.
Early signs of pink eye include redness, irritation, itching, and watery eyes. People may have a gritty feeling in the eye and discharge. In many cases, conjunctivitis will resolve by itself within a few weeks. Home remedies, such as artificial tears and warm or cool eye compresses, may help ease symptoms.