Yes, "thankfully."
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| | | | I recently spent a week and a half in Fire Island. In case you're unaware of this magical destination, it's a historic beach for the LGBTQ+ community. It was my annual summer vacation with close friends with whom I've gone for the past 4 years. | | I had a blast — maybe *too* much fun because the day after I got home from the trip, I woke up with a gooey, crusty eye. I knew immediately that it was conjunctivitis, more commonly known as "pink eye." | | Below, I'll share how I think I got it and how you can potentially avoid it — because it's so gross and annoying to deal with. | | | | Have a great, conjunctivitis-free weekend!
Kenny Thapoung
Managing Newsletter Editor | | | | |
| |  | | Written by Kenny Thapoung
August 2, 2024 • 4 min read | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | Pink eye would have ruined my beach trip | | My friend, who shall not be identified, woke up on the last day of our trip with pink eye. Now, I can't say for certain that he definitely passed it to me, but for the sake of keeping the joke alive in my group chat, let's just assume he did. Damn you, ****!️ | | Did you know there are actually three categories of conjunctivitis? Infectious, allergic, and chemical. Allergic pink eye happens when you come into contact with an allergen like pollen, whereas chemical conjunctivitis comes from irritants like chlorine in a pool or air pollution.️ | | While I got treatment via telehealth, I would guess my friend and I were dealing with the infectious kind of pink eye — we spent the entire week socializing, dancing, and being around large groups of people in tight spaces, so that'd make the most sense. | Infectious conjunctivitis is split into two parts: - Bacterial: This is caused by staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria. It typically occurs due to things like touching your eyes with unclean hands, sharing makeup, or having physical contact with someone who may also have conjunctivitis.
- Viral: This is usually caused by common cold viruses. It can happen if someone with an upper respiratory infection coughs or sneezes close to you. If you have a cold virus yourself and blow your nose too hard, this can push the infection into your eyes.
| | For bacterial infections, antibiotics — usually in the form of eye drops — are the most common treatment method. If pink eye is caused by a common cold virus, there's no treatment. You can apply a warm compress or wet cloth over your eyes for relief, but otherwise, you'll have to wait a few days for your symptoms to resolve on their own.️️ | While there's no single way to completely avoid getting pink eye — besides maybe *not* sitting next to your (probably) infectious friend on a bus — there are precautions you can take to lower your risk: - Avoid touching your eyes unless you've just washed your hands.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Only use clean tissues and towels to wipe your face and eyes.
- Try not to share cosmetics, especially eyeliner or mascara.
- Wash pillowcases frequently.
It's situations like these that I'm extra thankful that I get to work remotely. My first day back from vacation, I hopped on a morning Zoom call and could barely open my eyes. I wore glasses for the rest of my meetings. | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | *It can not be combined with your health insurance. Healthline and Optum Perks are owned by RVO Health. By using this Optum Perks service, we may receive a tangible benefit. | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | To my dear friend who definitely, most likely, probably gave me pink eye, I forgive you. | | | | | | |
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