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Treatment is dependent on the type of conjunctivitis affecting your child. Conjunctivitis can be an infectious or allergic condition. A child with infectious conjunctivitis is contagious until discharge from the eyes has disappeared. Children with infectious conjunctivitis should be kept home from child care, kindergarten or school.

If your child has infectious conjunctivitis, do not allow them to share eye drops, tissues, make-up, towels or pillowcases with other people. Be sure to regularly wash hands thoroughly to prevent the infection spreading to others. If it’s a bacterial infection the doctor probably will prescribe antibiotic eye drops or ointment for your kid a couple of time a day for around 1 week. You can use a small cotton with warm water to sooth and wash your kid’s eye. Whereas a child with allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious. It is more likely in children with a history of other allergies.

Go to see a doctor if your child’s conjunctivitis isn’t getting better after two days, or if your child has any of the following:

1. Severe pain
2. Problems with their vision/eyesight
3. Increased swelling, redness and tenderness in the eyelids and around the eyes
4. Is generally unwell and has a fever
5. A persistent white spot in the cornea (the clear ‘window’ at the front of the eye)

Dr. Hayat Tinawi Daher

Pediatrician

^{1Health Encyclopedia, Conjunctivitis in children}

^{2https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/conjunctivitis.html}