How do you know if your child has pink eye or allergies?

Expect dramatic discharge with pink eye, which will include green or yellow discharge; with allergies the eyes will water, but there will be no pus-like discharge.

Can allergies be confused with pink eye?

When you have pink eye, one or both eyes may become red, itchy, and watery. Most people who use the term pink eye are referring to a bacterial or viral infection in the eye, but pink eye can also be caused by allergies. This is called allergic conjunctivitis. Irritants, like smoke, can also cause pink eye.

How can you tell the difference between pink eye and allergies?

The white of the eye may be pink or red. In allergic conjunctivitis, the eyes often feel itchy or irritated with excessive clear drainage, or tearing. A person with allergies may also experience puffy, swollen eyelids and light sensitivity.

How do I know if my toddler has pink eye?

What Exactly is Pink Eye and How Do You Know If Your Toddler Has It?

1. A red or pink tint to the whites of the eyes.
2. Eye pain that could include burning or itching.
3. Watery or gritty discharge from the eyes that makes the eyelids stick together.
4. Swollen eye area.
5. Unusual sensitivity to lights.
6. Excessive tearing.

What can be mistaken for pink eye?

Don’t assume that all red, irritated, or swollen eyes are pinkeye (viral conjunctivitis). Your symptoms could also be caused by seasonal allergies, a sty, iritis, chalazion (an inflammation of the gland along the eyelid), or blepharitis (an inflammation or infection of the skin along the eyelid).

Do I have to take my child to the doctor for pink eye?

When Should I Call the Doctor? If the pinkeye does not improve after 2 to 3 days of treatment, or after a week if untreated, call your doctor. If your child has increased swelling, redness, and tenderness in the eyelids and around the eye, along with a fever, call your doctor.

What looks like pink eye but is not?

What are the symptoms of pink eye in toddlers?

Allergic and irritant pink eye may result mainly in watery and itchy, discolored eyes without the other symptoms. If your child has allergic pink eye, you may also notice symptoms unrelated to the eye, like a runny nose and sneezing. Allergic and irritant pink eye will usually appear in both eyes.

What are the symptoms of pink eye allergies?

Symptoms of allergic pink eye include: Redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid. Increased amount of tears. Itchy eyes. Blurred vision. Swelling of the eyelid.

Why are my toddler’s eyes red and Itchy?

If both eyes are pink and teary and itchy — and your toddler is also complaining of a stuffy, runny or itchy nose — allergies may be the culprit. If both eyes are red and itchy after swimming in a pool, then the cause could be chemical.

How do you know if you have pink eye?

Contact lenses that feel uncomfortable and/or do not stay in place on the eye Depending on the cause, other symptoms may occur. Can occur with symptoms of a cold, flu, or other respiratory infection Usually begins in one eye and may spread to the other eye within days Discharge from the eye is usually watery rather than thick