What are the signs and symptoms of pink eye?

[HelenePA]

Besides the eye being pink that is Can you have a green discharge with it? I've never had it (although if my dd has it I'm sure I will!) none of the kids have had it before.. is it a ER (we dont have urgent care) trip tonight? or can it wait til the morning when the ped is open?

 

[flying_babyb]

Pink eye isnt a big deal. Its not worth a er trip. The gets red, sometimes bloodshot, there will be a pus like substance in the eye. Your child may wake up with the eye unable to open from the pus goop but if you take a wet washcloth to put on there eye it will loosen. It dosent always happen. I have had pink eye well too many times. Theres a homopathic cure avaible OTC at walmart,, shopko and so on. It works really well and has saved me many doctors trips

 

[wdwmom2]

Your child may wake up with the eye unable to open from the pus goop but if you take a wet washcloth to put on there eye it will loosen.

Yep, if you wake up with your eye matted shut, you most likely have pink eye.

 

[FigmentFinder]

See the pediatrician in the morning. The medication from the doctor works faster than the OTC. Little kids usually hate the eyedrops. There is also an ointment the doctor can give you.

Have a warm damp washcloth ready for the morning. Most of the time you can't open your eyes.

 

[nmmom95]

It went around my DS's kindergarten class last year. It goes away faster if you get the drops from the ped, but it is definitely not ER worthy. Just put warm compresses if it get annoying and see the dr. in the morning.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Just keep in mind that it is really contageous! Make sure you wash her hands frequently and also that everyone else washes and avoids putting their hands in their eyes.

I also wouldn't bother with the ER unless she is just miserable. The Dr. tomorrow will give you some drops that will clear it up pretty quick.

 

[HelenePA]

Thanks! I feel like an idiot for asking but when I googled from my iphone I wasn't getting good results I figured this would be faster! Off to the ped in the morning I guess they are off tomorrow and it's her birthday I'm sure this isn't how she wanted to spend the day

 

[daisax]

Change the pillowcase each morning, too!

 

[laughinplace199]

Just want to add that sometimes the bacteria that causes pink eye can also cause ear infections, so have the ped check her ears too.

 

[flying_babyb]

Change the pillowcase each morning, too!

good reminder, also a good idea to remember to wash those snugglies that end up near the eye. I reinfected myself once snuggling with bink (a really old blue quilt thats been around since my dad passed, its a confort thing).

 

[java]

It can be Bacterial(ear infection likely to accompany it) or Viral- runny nose cold kind.

The antibiotic eye drops only clear up the Bacterial kind. (The viral kind usually run it's course more quickly)

You can't tell by just looking at it which one it is so most dr.s just put you on the drops just in case.

What I can suggest is RINSING the eye. If you have saline in the house(Contacts kind works) just rinse out the eye. If it's the viral kind that can help. can you tell we've had our share of pink eye!

Wash your hands often.

Good luck and really it just looks grosser than it feels. Time to get out the sunglasses.

 

[disney1990]

Also make sure that nobody shares the towels in the house.

 

[HelenePA]

I'll try but I highly doubt everyone else will escape it! 4 kids = lots of sharing!

 

[JoanGirardi]

My pediatrician will often call out the prescription for pinkeye without even making us go in to the office--I guess they don't want us spreading it in the waiting room. It usually clears up pretty quickly. Good luck!

 

[HelenePA]

Yep its pink eye! She's on some drops for 5 days. No school for 3.. I guess this is going to be a VERY short week for her! Now to go do some laundry okay LOTS of laundry!

 

[flying_babyb]

WoW!! when I was younger it was only 24 hr before you could go back to school!

 

[wdwmom2]

WoW!! when I was younger it was only 24 hr before you could go back to school!

It still is in the office I work at. After 24 hours on the antibiotic, you are good to go! But maybe there is extenuating circumstances that the OP's doc feels that it would be better for her DD to be off for 3 days.

 

[HelenePA]

It still is in the office I work at. After 24 hours on the antibiotic, you are good to go! But maybe there is extenuating circumstances that the OP's doc feels that it would be better for her DD to be off for 3 days.

nothing extenuating that I'm aware of? really 24 hours? They are off of school today or I'd call and ask but they told us not to send her for at least 3 days they are no longer goopy/pink just have a red ring around the outside of them should I send her tomorrow? Maybe I'll split the difference and send her on Wed and keep her home tomorrow

 

[My2Cinderellas]

I had pink eye one summer, and my kids didn't get it. Weird, I know... I swear I picked it up off a shopping cart at the grocery store, it's the only place the girls didn't go with me that week.

Anyway, I woke up one morning and my eyes itched a bit. no big deal. they weren't red or pink or unusual looking. By the time we got to the church for Vacation Bible School at 9am, they must have looked bad. I had 3 friends who are RNs stop and tell me to go home and call the doctor. For some reason, they didn't want me to stay and help serve treats to 400+ kids I looked in the mirror again and they were bright red. It felt like there was a ton of sand and grit in my eyes and they itched horribly. I'm sure rubbing the itchy eyes and then touching whatever is how the germs get transferred so fast.

I called and the doctor did not want to see me, he just called in an rx for eye drops. I went thru a ton of purell that week doing everything I could think of to not pass it along to my kids. So I'm the weird one, I had pink eye as an adult and my kids haven't had it yet...

 

[wdwmom2]

nothing extenuating that I'm aware of? really 24 hours? They are off of school today or I'd call and ask but they told us not to send her for at least 3 days they are no longer goopy/pink just have a red ring around the outside of them should I send her tomorrow? Maybe I'll split the difference and send her on Wed and keep her home tomorrow

Yep, 24 hours, good to go. Most of the time they prescibe Vigamox. We have 6 pediatricians where I work. Some prescribe it for 5 days, some for 7 days. Either way, we don't see the children back because they don't get rid of it. But they are always told they may return to school after a full 24 hours on antibiotics.

Believe me, I am not saying your doc is wrong. It just is not the way my docs handle it. Hey, different docs, different ways of thinking and treating.