Health And Fitness News 

Causes Of Pink Eye

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is a fairly common problem affecting children, adults, and many cats! My Tonkinese, Oscar, gets it fairly regularly, though he is otherwise healthy (fortunately!).

But pink eye, both in people and animals, can be caused by a number of different things. In cats, it is commonly caused by chlamydia, although this is not the case with people. People can get chlamydia-associated conjunctivitis, but not generally in developed countries. One thing to be careful of, is if this is affecting your pet, be sure to wash your hands carefully after applying ointment, or otherwise touching, their eye. People can get chlamydia from their pets in this way.

The most common cause of pink eye in people is bacteria. The bacteria concerned are generally staphylococcus, pneumococcus, and streptococcus. Antibiotic eye drops or ointments, and bathing the eye with warm-hot water or herbal compresses work well against these bacteria. Other home remedies for pink eye can also be tried, although if the eye hasn't improved after about 4 days, conventional antibiotics should be sought.

Viruses are another cause of the contagious types of conjunctivitis. Viral pink eye usually clears up on its' own after about 7 to 10 days, and other, systemic symptoms are usually present.

Pink eye is not always contagious. These cases are usually allergy related, or caused by chemical irritants. Allergy related pink eye is usually very itchy, and causes strong swelling. My brother had a real problem with this when he was younger, caused by an allergic reaction to the family cat (he learnt not to sleep with our Siamese after waking up one morning with both eyes almost completely closed). Animal allergies, pollen, and dust are common irritants to allergy prone people.

If a conjunctivitis reaction occurs from any chemicals such as smoke, cleaning products, or industrial chemicals, it's important to wash eyes straight away, with a lot of water. Make sure your hands are free of any chemicals first! It's also important to go to a doctor just to be on the safe side.