William C. Fruchtman, O.D.
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    • Best Eye Exercises Improve Your Eyesight
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    • 4 Eye Diseases to Know About if You're 40+
    • More Blogs >
      • Understanding Glaucoma
      • Is My Child Ready for Contacts?
      • How Blue Light Affects Your Eyes
      • Protecting Your Eyes During Summer
      • Accidents and Eye Safety During Summer
      • Diabetes, Eye Disease and Blindness
      • Contact Lens Care and Safety
      • Macular Degeneration
      • The Best Frames for Your Face
      • Caring for Your Glasses
      • When Is It Time for an Eye Exam
      • Fabry Disease
      • Macular Degeneration Symptoms and Amsler Grid
      • 6 Tips for Maintaining Good Eye Health
      • Slow Down The Aging Of Your Eyes
      • Pink Eye Symptoms and Treatments
      • Secrets Your Eyes Reveal About Health
      • Protect Your Eyes from Computer Time
      • Four Common Eye Problems
      • How to Improve Your Vision
Pink Eye Symptoms and Treatment

If you’ve ever experienced red, itchy eyes, you may have wondered if you are experiencing common allergies or a more serious eye infection called conjunctivitis, or pink eye. The good news is that while pink eye looks bad, it is typically more inconvenient than serious, and it will rarely cause issues with your vision. Here’s what you need to know about pink eye symptoms and how to treat them.

What Causes Pink Eye?

First, a little biology—the conjunctiva is a thin, clear tissue that covers the white part of your eye and lines the inside of your eyelid. When this tissue gets irritated or exposed to bacteria or a virus, a variety of symptoms can occur.
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses, such as the common cold
  • Allergic reaction to eyedrops
  • Allergic reaction to pollen, smoke or dust
  • Contact lens allergy
  • Foreign body in the eye
  • Fungi
  • Amoeba
  • Parasites
  • Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) – could be dangerous and lead to vision loss
  • Birth when mother is suffering with Gonorrhea or Chlamydia – can affect baby’s vision

Symptoms of Pink Eye

Depending on if you have viral or bacterial pink eye, you may experience different symptoms. In addition, only one eye may be affected at first.
  • Redness in the whites of eyes
  • Watery eyes
  • Tearing
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Pus
  • Mucus
  • Itchy eyes
  • Swelling
  • Itchy and/or runny nose
  • Thick, yellowish discharge
  • Crusty eyelashes, especially when you wake up
  • Burning eyes
  • Blurred vision
  • Light sensitivity
 
Conjunctivitis Care

Once you have conjunctivitis, or pink eye, it’s most important to prevent spreading the disease to others. Pink eye is highly contagious and is common in children but can also be spread among adults. Pink eye can be spread by contacting an object that someone has touched after touching their eye, then touching your own eye. Here are some tips to help prevent spreading pink eye.
  • Don’t touch or rub your eyes. Use a soft tissue to wipe.
  • Keep your hands to yourself.
  • If you do touch your eyes, wash your hands with soap and water before touching anything else.
  • Change or wash your pillowcase daily in hot water.
  • Separate your towels and bedding from other laundry and wash in hot water.
  • Disinfect any contaminated surfaces.
  • Don’t share any eyewear.
  • Don’t share any eye makeup.
  • Don’t share eye drops.
  • Stay away from school, daycare, work, church or other close quarters with other people.
  • If you have contacts, wear glasses. You may use contacts once your condition has cleared.
  • Don’t put a patch over your eye.
 
If your eyes become crusted over, don’t force your eyelids open and don’t try to remove the crustiness by hand. Simply prepare a warm compress (paper towel or cotton ball) and let it sit over each eye until you can open them. Then, gently dab each eye to remove any remaining residue. Be sure to throw away your compress immediately, then wash your hands right away.

Pink Eye Treatment

Pink eye has been known to spread rapidly throughout daycare centers and schools. And, if not careful, pink eye can also easily spread from child to parent and to other family members and friends.
The treatment for pink eye can depend on the cause. It may simply run its course, or you may need to use antibiotic drops, ointment or pills. If your pink eye is caused by an irritant, you may only need to rinse your eye thoroughly to remove the foreign substance.

When to Call Your Doctor

In most cases, pink eye is easily treated at home. However, symptoms similar to pink eye can also be caused by other eye issues, such as seasonal allergies, iritis, a sty, chalazion (inflammation of the gland along the eyelid) or blepharitis (inflammation or infection of the skin along the eyelid). If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, see your optometrist as soon as possible.
  • Eye pain
  • Excessive yellow or green discharge
  • Obvious change in vision
  • Vision loss
  • High fever
  • Shaking
  • Chills
  • Facial pain
  • If your condition doesn’t improve within 2 weeks

We would love to see you for any of your eye care needs!
​

Call Dr. Fruchtman TODAY to Schedule your first or next eye visit with Dr. Fruchtman today.
​​
​Languages spoken:  
​English, Hablamos Español, ​Rozmawiamy po Polsku                                                                      
COVID-19:  Our office is now open to see all patients. Telemedicine is still available. Please call the office and we will evaluate which option is better for you.

​Click here to find patient forms.
​
Mon   9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tue    9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wed   9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thu    9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Fri      9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sat     Closed

Sun    8:00 AM - 2:00 PM (By appointment only.)

Address: ​196 Paterson Avenue, East Rutherford, NJ 07073            Phone: 201-728-9222                                                                                    
To schedule an appointment, click here.

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​​Notice of Privacy Practices
  • Home
    • Welcome Back During COVID-19
    • Telemedicine during COVID-19
  • About Us
    • Patient Testimonials
    • Career Opportunities
  • Eye Exams
    • Benefits of Regular Eye Exams
    • Eye Exams as Preventative Treatement
    • Eye Exam Schedule
    • What Can I Expect During My Eye Exam
  • Contact Lenses
    • Advantages of Contact Lenses
    • Are Contact Lenses for You?
    • Contact Lens Fittings
  • Eye Infections and Diseases
    • Eye Infection Treatments
    • Diabetic Retinopathy
    • Glaucoma
    • Cataracts
  • Forms, Contact Us & Insurance
    • Patient Forms in English
    • Formularze pacjenta w języku polskim
    • Formularios de pacientes en español. Muy Pronto..
    • Your Eye Dr. in East Rutherford, NJ
    • Schedule An Appointment
    • Insurance, Payment Methods and Policies
  • Blog
    • Best Eye Exercises Improve Your Eyesight
    • The Best Way to Clean Your Glasses
    • Reasons Your Patient Experience Is Better
    • 20 Easy Ways to Relieve Dry Eyes
    • 4 Eye Diseases to Know About if You're 40+
    • More Blogs >
      • Understanding Glaucoma
      • Is My Child Ready for Contacts?
      • How Blue Light Affects Your Eyes
      • Protecting Your Eyes During Summer
      • Accidents and Eye Safety During Summer
      • Diabetes, Eye Disease and Blindness
      • Contact Lens Care and Safety
      • Macular Degeneration
      • The Best Frames for Your Face
      • Caring for Your Glasses
      • When Is It Time for an Eye Exam
      • Fabry Disease
      • Macular Degeneration Symptoms and Amsler Grid
      • 6 Tips for Maintaining Good Eye Health
      • Slow Down The Aging Of Your Eyes
      • Pink Eye Symptoms and Treatments
      • Secrets Your Eyes Reveal About Health
      • Protect Your Eyes from Computer Time
      • Four Common Eye Problems
      • How to Improve Your Vision