By LORI TUCKER
6 News Anchor/Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The virus that can cause pink eye is starting to show up in East Tennessee, but don't panic.
Pink eye can be caused by a number of things, and it's not always contagious.
Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, is an inflammation or infection of the membrane lining the eyelids. Viruses are the most common cause, but you can get it from exposure to chemicals, bacteria, allergies and even wearing your contact lenses too long.
If you have the contagious kind, it's extremely easy to get and easy to treat.
First grader Anderson Smith is back on the playground following a recent bout with pink eye. "I felt it really hurt really bad, and I felt like stuff was in my eye," he said.
Anderson's mom, Julie McWhorter, thought it was allergies at first, but a trip to the doctor proved otherwise. Anderson had the contagious kind.
"It was very easily treated, but from a mom's standpoint it's really scary to know," Julie said.
Anderson was treated with antibiotic eye drops that cleared up his pink eye in just a few days.
Dr. Heather Radu, an emergency room doctor at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, says many parents don't realize there are also non-contagious forms of conjunctivitis, eyes irritated by allergies or other irritants, such as too much time splashing around in a chlorinated pool.
The classic, infectious pink eye comes from a viral or bacterial infection. "The biggest thing is going to be prevention. Hand washing, hand washing, kids, they rub their eyes. They pick at their nose. They're going and playing with toys," Dr. Radu said.
If your child is diagnosed with infectious pink eye, there are common sense steps you can take to keep other family members from getting it, too.
"Don't share washcloths with them. Pillow cases should be washed frequently," Dr. Radu said.
Use Tylenol or Motrin for pain. Wipe down toys after your child plays with them. Also, know that pink eye will be gone before you know it.
"It just felt like it kind of stings, but for a few days it gets better and better," Anderson said.
The Knox County Health Department doesn't keep track of pink eye cases, but it does hear from daycare centers and schools when it starts to spread.
So far, a few cases are trickling in at local doctor's offices. Dr. Radu says pink eye usually lasts between two and five days.
"I felt it really hurt really bad, and I felt like stuff was in my eye," Anderson Smith said.
"Don't share washcloths with them. Pillow cases should be washed frequently," Dr. Heather Radu advised.
