July 26, 2024 | An eye infection is a bacterial or viral infection of the eye or the tissue immediately surrounding the eye. These infections often cause redness, tearing and itchiness. Discharge from the eye and crusting of the eyelid margin are also common symptoms that may cause your eyelids and lashes to feel stuck together when you awaken. You may also experience pain and swelling of the tissues around the eye. Some eye infections are highly contagious, and you must take care not to infect other people, or even your other eye, if only one eye is infected. Proper hand-washing and taking care to use clean hand towels and tissues are important. In some cases, allergies or irritation can cause symptoms similar to an eye infection. Because an eye infection can affect vision, it is important to see a physician if your symptoms are severe or last longer than about two days. If you have any changes in vision, contact your doctor immediately.

July 26, 2024 | While contact lenses are used safely by millions of people every day, they do carry a risk of eye infection. The most common infection related to contact lens use is keratitis, an infection of the cornea, the clear, round dome covering the eye’s iris and pupil. The use of extended-wear lenses, sleeping in your contact lenses and poor hygiene, including poor maintenance of contact lens cases or reusing or topping off contact lens solution, can all lead to an infection. Also, non-sterile solutions, such as tap-water should never be used to soak or handle contact lenses. The symptoms of a contact lens-related infection may include pain, blurry vision, tearing or discharge from the eye, increased light sensitivity or the sensation of something in your eye. Some contact lens-related eye infections can cause serious vision loss, so it is important to remove your contact as soon as symptoms begin and to see your physician as soon as possible for treatment.

July 26, 2024 | Most women wouldn’t be caught dead without some kind of makeup on their eyes but did you know that makeup is a common source of eye infections? The Food and Drug Administration regulates all cosmetics marketed in the United States, including mascara, eye shadows, eye liner and eyebrow pencils. Because dangerous bacteria or fungi can grow in some cosmetic products, as well as their containers, the FDA says you should always wash your hands before applying eye cosmetics, and be sure that any instrument you place near your eyes is clean. Be especially careful not to contaminate cosmetics by introducing microorganisms. For example, don’t lay an eyelash wand on a countertop where it can pick up bacteria. Keep containers clean, since these may also be a source of contamination. And if you should sample cosmetics at a department store, be sure to use a single-use applicator, such as a clean cotton swab.

July 26, 2024 | According to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control, more than 164 million school days are missed annually in U.S. public schools due to the spread of infectious diseases. An astonishing 3 million of those school days are lost as a result of acute conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. Children are usually most susceptible to getting pink eye from bacteria or viruses because they are in close contact with so many others in school or day care centers and because they don’t practice good hygiene. If a child is infected, make sure to have them wash their hands often to help prevent the spread of the illness and don’t let them reuse towels and washcloths to wipe their face. The infection will clear in most cases without medical care, but bacterial pinkeye needs treatment with antibiotic eye drops or ointment. Children who return to school before their conjunctivitis has cleared risk spreading the infection to others.

July 26, 2024 | A stye is a painful lump near the edge of your eyelid that may look like a boil or pimple. Styes usually form on the outside of your eyelid and are caused by bacteria, especially the bacterium staphylococcus. Touching your eyes with unwashed hands can transfer bacteria to your eyelids. In most cases, a stye will begin to disappear on its own in a few days. In the meantime, you may be able to relieve the discomfort of a stye by applying a very warm washcloth to your eyelid for 10 to 15 minutes.  When it loses heat, re-warm the wash cloth and repeat the application. Repeating this several times a day will encourage the stye to drain on its own. Do not try to pop the sty or squeeze the pus from it as doing so can cause the infection to spread into the surrounding tissues. Consult a physician if the stye doesn’t start to improve after 48 hours or if the redness and swelling extend beyond your eyelid and involve other parts of your face.