Allergic conjunctivitis

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Characteristics: Comes quickly, goes quickly, but prone to recurrence

Symptoms: Itchy! It’s that deep, maddening itch that makes you want to gouge or rub your eyeballs.

Associated symptoms: Usually accompanied by copious watery tears and a series of sneezes. No way around it — the nose and eyes are connected, like miserable siblings.

Key feature: Not contagious!

Red eye

Feature: Contagious

Symptoms: Foreign body sensation & copious discharge! Feels like there’s sand in the eye, very gritty. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll find your eyes stuck together with sticky, yellow-white discharge, making it hard to open them.

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Associated symptoms: Eyes are red and swollen, with a burning sensation, but usually not as itchy as with allergies.

Key feature: Highly contagious! Transmitted by contact; if someone who touched a doorknob or towel you touched, they may get infected.

How to treat it?

Allergy:

Avoid allergens: Wear protective goggles during pollen season, change sheets and duvet covers frequently to remove mites, avoid kittens.

Cold compress: Apply an ice pack or cold towel to the eyes to effectively constrict blood vessels and relieve redness, swelling, and itching.

Don't rub your eyes! Rubbing the eyes stimulates the cells and makes the itching worse.

Seek medical attention promptly: Do not casually buy and use anti-inflammatory eye drops on your own; they may be ineffective or even worsen the condition!

Conjunctivitis:

Isolate immediately: Use separate towels, washbasins, and pillows; do not share them with family members.

Wash hands frequently: always wash your hands after touching your eyes to avoid infecting others or your other eye.

Seek medical care and use medications as prescribed: be sure to complete the full course as directed by your clinician; do not stop just because you feel better, as this can lead to recurrence.

Remove secretions: gently wipe away secretions with a sterile cotton swab or disposable tissue, and discard it after use.

This article is for reference only and does not substitute professional medical diagnosis or advice. If you have specific symptoms, seek medical attention promptly.