Pink Eye?!?!?! - Centralia,WA

The idea that pink eye is from getting poop in the eye is just a myth, and a ridiculous one at that! My son once smeared poop in his eye, and when I called the doctor worried about it, he laughed and said that pink eye is NOT related to poop!

My daughter though gets pink eye a couple times a year. It is usually caused in younger kids by wiping snot in their eye from a runny nose. It is highly contagious though, and can be picked up anywhere a child with pink eye has been. My daughter gets it because she has itchy eyes from allergies and rubs her eyes raw then bacteria from her dirty hands get in the raw areas and grows into pink eye. Pink eye is just the name they give for a bacterial infection in the eye.

When my daughter has it, we have her wear sunglasses; partially so everyone in public doesn't have to see the mess that her eyes are in, and also to remind her to keep her hands out of her eyes.

It is usually a day or two before all looks well again, but be very careful to finish out the prescribed doses because the infection will come back worse if you quit early.

my daughter had gotten it once when she was about your daughter's age and no one else had it either. The Dr said they can get it by rubbing their own mucous or snot into their eyes, and the bacteria from that causes it. My daughter did have a runny nose when she got it, so that made sense to me. Does your daughter have a cold? The only way to not get it, is to be super careful about cleanliness and not rubbing your eyes. I didn't get it, so I would think none of you will, just remind the kids constantly! Good Luck, and hope baby feels better soon!

we have all had it a TON of times. Just make sure everyone washes their hands a lot. Wipe down light switches, fridge handle, door knobs, anything that is touched a lot, just keep wiping it down. Did she have a cold recently? I get it sometimes when I have a cold. I have had this over 15 times in my life (from school, or my kids being in school, from public swimming pools), and I have never heard of it being from fecal matter. Just wash hands and pillow cases, blankets, and you should be fine. Also try not to touch your eye

Hand washing, hand washing... and hand washing.

Yes its common. My child also got it around that age and it was from her having a cold and wiping her snot around. I was told they should not be contagious after 24 hours of medication.
The biggest thing to do to keep from spreading it is infection control.....wash your and your kinds hands often! Also wash everything she uses. Tell your other kids to be careful when playing with her and her toys. Never too soon to instill washing hands frequently to help stop the spread of germs.

Pink eye is usually contracted from getting poop in the eye. This can happen from grabbing diaper region during diaper changes and then touching the eyes. The best way to avoid repeat courses is to wash baby's hands if they touch diaper region. The best way for you to avoid getting it is to not touch the infected eye(s). And wash your hands after dosing the eyes with the medication. Also don't let your other children touch baby's face. Wash toys baby touches. Just keep everything clean. My son has had it and no one else got it by following these simple steps. I am sorry you have to deal with this...it's rotten

Make sure everyone washes their hands frequently. Wash your hands after you give her the meds. Wash her sheets and bedding. Wash common surfaces with disinfectants. Do this as long as she has pink eye.

Pinkeye can be caused by a variety of things. Bacteria, allergies, viruses, or even just getting something irritating in your eye. It's hard to know how she got it because there are so many ways. My daughter always seemed to get pink eye when she got a cold or ear infection. All those tubes are connected. Here's a good article on it:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/conjunctivitis....

It is so contaigious that it is easy to get. It isn't caused from poop - not sure where that comment came from. It can be bacterial or viral.
I have had it - I got it in a swimming pool. My DD had it when she was about 8 months too and I also am a stay at home mom and had no clue how she got it. There is a chance others in your family will get it - I started to get it when my DD had it, but just used her meds to clear it up.
The meds should clear it up in as quick as 24hrs, but it could take a few days too. In the morning, you may have to use a warm washcloth to get the goup out of her eyes to even open them. A lot of times pink eye comes along with being sick.
Wash hands constantly...wipe down door hands, sanitize toys, wash bedding to stop re-occurence.

We went through pink eye this spring. My twins got it, but I was able to keep my older one from getting it by not allowing him to touch them and by incessant hand-washing for myself, the babies, my husband and my son.
As for the runny nose, it could be just teething. The general rule of thumb is clear mucus is teething and greenish-yellow mucus is infection.

Did they check for an ear infection? Whenever my son (2 yrs old) gets pink eye he also has an ear infection. The pediatrician said the two are generally linked because the fluid and infection needs to go somewhere.

I'm assuming it's bacterial pink eye, the pus-filled kind. If so, 24 hours after she starts the medication, she should not be contagious, so I would scrub what she's used thoroughly, especially door handles, etc., but then wait and see.

Viral pink eye (the bright pink but not pus-filled kind) is different. She could have it for more than a week, and be contagious the whole time. But bacterial pink eye could be picked up anywhere. My son got it at a playground--and his eye literally started oozing pus within the hour after he got it. But no one else did, and the medicine worked very well.

Prevention includes washing their eyes out with Similasan individual packets a couple of times a day especially at bedtime.

Your child may have gotten pink eye from an irritant she rubbed into her eye.
Pink eye can develop from an allergy to pollen, food, dust mites or animal fur.

If you have a pet consider it to have been the agent of delivery.

Endless handwashing prevents most illnesses.

My youngest had it last spring too. The easiest way to get rid of it (and also prevent it in the rest of the family) is a couple drops of breastmilk in the eye a couple times a day. If you're nursing, just lay the child down on your lap, lean over and drop 1-2 good sized drops of milk in their open eye. I know it sounds a little unusual, but it cleared it up in both my kids this spring (my oldest has a much lighter case) and prevented it in my husband completely.

Updated

People get pink eye when their eye come in contact with fecal matter, although it can be transmitted from person to person once it is established. Is it possible that you wiped a "sleepy-seed" from baby's eye after changing a diaper without washing your hands first?