Can pink eye be contagious just by looking at it?

It was once said that if a healthy person looked at the eyes of a person with conjunctivitis, they would be infected, so many people would stay away from people with red eyes. Is this true? I guess you watched too many fantasy TV dramas when you were a child, and the power of "pink eye" is not that great.

Is pink eye contagious?

There are four types of "pink eye". Except for allergic conjunctivitis which is not contagious, the other three are contagious to a certain extent, namely trachoma, bacterial conjunctivitis, and viral conjunctivitis.

Trachoma is mainly caused by infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and is a common eye infection. Its infection is closely related to the living environment and personal hygiene. It is usually transmitted through direct contact, but may also be transmitted indirectly through eye secretions and pollutants.

Bacterial conjunctivitis often occurs in places with large-scale movement of people in spring and autumn, such as schools and factories. It develops rapidly and is highly contagious. Viral conjunctivitis is also highly contagious and often occurs in children and adolescents, often accompanied by symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, swollen lymph nodes before the ears, and fever.

Allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious. The cause of allergic conjunctivitis is an allergic reaction in the conjunctiva of the eye, which is mainly related to allergic constitution. It is necessary to find the allergens and use anti-allergic treatment.

How is pink eye transmitted?

Direct contact with the patient's eyes or upper respiratory tract secretions, shaking hands with the patient, hugging the patient and other physical contact may cause conjunctivitis; contact with the patient's daily utensils such as towels, washbasins, etc., or things that the patient has touched, such as door handles and bus handrails; contact with contaminated water, such as swimming pool water, and used eye drops may cause conjunctivitis.

There are four ways that pink eye is spread:

1. Direct contact with the patient's eyes or upper respiratory tract secretions, shaking hands with the patient, hugging and other physical contact may cause infection with pink eye;

2. Contact with the patient's daily utensils such as towels, used clothes, washbasins, etc., or things touched by the patient, such as door handles, bus handrails, various tools, etc.;

3. Contact with contaminated water, such as pond water, swimming pool water, etc.;

4. Contact with eye drops used by patients.

Some people think that if you look at a patient with red eyes, you will get red eye disease, but this is not scientifically true! Currently, you can only get the disease through direct or indirect contact.

Therefore, if you encounter a patient with conjunctivitis, you must strictly maintain personal hygiene, disinfect the daily necessities that the patient uses close to the skin, wash your hands and disinfect them when you come into contact with the patient, avoid contact with the patient's tears and eyelids, and acute patients need to be isolated.

Xiao Ai reminds everyone to pay attention to eye hygiene and avoid staying in crowded places for a long time. Especially for children with poor immunity, if they have eye problems, they must seek medical attention in time~