.Your New Jersey high schooler is probably getting pink eye.
While the state doesn’t officially track conjunctivitis cases, spring is prime season. Allergies kick up with pollen and ragweed, and viral outbreaks spike in schools as students pack into classrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.
Here’s how to spot conjunctivitis symptoms, and treatments parents should consider.
Does my child have pink eye?
Conjunctivitis — or pink eye — is primarily caused by an infection.
There are two main pink eye variants: bacterial and viral.
“Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can occur along with colds or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as a sore throat,” read The Mayo Clinic’s website. “Wearing contact lenses that aren’t cleaned properly or aren’t your own can cause bacterial conjunctivitis.
“Both types are very contagious.”
Pink eye symptoms include blurred vision, eye pain, light sensitivity and the feeling that a foreign substance or object is in your child’s eye.
How conjunctivitis spreads
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conjunctivitis is most commonly spread through close contact with someone who has pink eye; through cough droplets expelled by someone with pink eye; and touching items that have been contaminated with conjunctivitis-causing germs.
How to treat pink eye in your child
Depending on type of pink eye your child has, symptoms can linger for up to three weeks.
“Most cases of viral pink eye are mild. It usually clears up in 7 to 14 days without treatment and without any long-term consequences. However, in some cases, viral conjunctivitis can take 2 to 3 weeks or more to clear up,” advised the CDC. “Mild bacterial pink eye may get better without antibiotic treatment and without causing any complications.
“It usually clears up in 2 to 5 days without treatment but can take 2 weeks to go away completely.”
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.