What should you do about pink eye when you have work obligations?

Aside from one or both eyes appearing pink and possibly having some discharge, you often feel fine otherwise.

You know you could be accomplishing a lot at work, but should you go inwith pink eye?

Man with pink eye at computer in office setting

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Answering that depends on the punch in of pink eye you have.

Pink eye (conjunctivitis)can be contagious, resulting from bacterial or viral pathogens.

If you have noncontagious pink eye, feel free to go to work.

With contagious pink eye, it’s a different story.

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Should You Stay Home If You Have Pink Eye?

You’ll need to talk to a healthcare provider about whether you should stay home.

Both bacterial and viral pink eye are contagious.

How Contagious Is Pink Eye?

Both bacterial and viral pink eye are extremely contagious.

This is why it’s important not to go to work.

How Is Pink Eye Spread?

There are several ways that contagious pink eye can be spread.

These include:

How Long Is Pink Eye Contagious?

Unfortunately, if your eye is red or other symptoms persist, it’s still contagious.

After starting antibiotics, you are still considered contagious for about 24 hours.

Bacterial pink eye usually goes away within two to five days.

Sometimes, it can take up to two weeks to run its course.

Otherwise, the pink eye will be allowed to simply run its course.

Pink Eye Prevention

Unfortunately, bacterial and viral pink eye tend to be very contagious.

Keep in mind that the pathogen can stay on surfaces for up to two weeks.

Still, there are some things you might do to avoid getting pink eye.

You may also be able to speed recovery with treatment.

But unless your healthcare provider says otherwise, you should stay home until it resolves.

It is a highly contagious condition and not one you want to be spreading unnecessarily.

Talk with a healthcare provider to see what is the most likely cause.

Also, the mucus tends to be thick rather than watery.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat pink eye.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How to prevent pink eye.

University of Utah Moran Eye Center.Pink eye (conjuctivitis).

University of Pittsburg Medical Center.How long is pink eye contagious?

National Eye Institute.Treatment for pink eye.

American Academy of Ophthalmology.Quick home remedies for pink eye.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About pink eye.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pink eye.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of pink eye.