They are doing you and the public at large a favor.According to Ivan R. They can often make recommendations over the phone, but don't be surprised or upset if they say you don't need a prescription. Over-the-counter eye drops and antihistamines can help ease the itching and tearing associated with allergic conjunctivitis.īottom line: if you think you or your child has conjunctivitis, call your doctor's office. Cool compresses and artificial tears can soothe irritated eyes. Warm compresses can help loosen eyelid crusting. There are some simple things you can do at home to ease your symptoms. However, we have to educate schools and the public at large that most conjunctivitis is harmless and will go away on its own, and that most cases of conjunctivitis should not be treated with an antibiotic. And some schools won't let a child with conjunctivitis return to class without proof they have been on an antibiotic for 24 hours. They want a quick fix and I want to provide it. And the inappropriate use of antibiotics continues to fuel resistance, making antibiotics less and less effective when we really need them.Īs an urgent care physician, I know how hard it is to tell a patient or a parent that they have to wait for something to run its course. Parents are asked to administer unnecessary eye medication to an infant or child, which, believe me, can be incredibly challenging. Patients may suffer from side effects and allergic reactions to the medication.

Overprescribing antibiotics, even topical ones like drops and ointments, can do more harm than good. Why routine antibiotics for conjunctivitis isn't such a great idea Emergency room doctors, urgent care physicians, internists, and pediatricians were more likely to prescribe antibiotics than ophthalmologists. White, more educated, and more affluent patients were more likely to fill antibiotic prescriptions, and the type of doctor making the diagnosis made a difference.

They found that almost 60% of the patients filled at least one prescription for a topical antibiotic. Researchers looked at more than 340,000 enrollees in a large US managed care network with newly diagnosed acute conjunctivitis from 2001 through 2014. A new study by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in the journal Ophthalmology shows just how big a problem the overuse of antibiotics for conjunctivitis has become. However, according to ophthalmologists bacterial conjunctivitis often goes away on its own, and the practice of treating everyone 'just in case' is irresponsible. It can be hard to distinguish between viral and bacterial conjunctivitis simply by looking at it, so many doctors treat with a topical antibiotic 'just in case' it is bacterial. Bacterial conjunctivitis causes a thick discharge and responds to antibiotic eye drops or ointment.Therefore, it is usually accompanied by cold symptoms like runny nose and cough. Viral conjunctivitis is the most common and is triggered by the same viruses that cause the common cold.Allergic conjunctivitis often accompanies other allergy symptoms like itchy, runny nose or sneezing.There are three main types of conjunctivitis: allergic, viral, and bacterial.

What is conjunctivitis exactly?Ĭonjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the thin membrane that covers the whites of the eyes. 'Crusty,' 'goopy,' 'bloodshot,' 'itchy,' and 'gritty' are all common words used to describe the eye condition that affects some six million people in the US every year. If you or your child has ever had acute conjunctivitis or 'pink eye,' you know how nasty it can be.

Conjunctivitis cold or warm compress