Can you take a chance and still pop them in?
When the blood vessels in the area become inflamed, they swell, and the eye appears red.
Conjunctivitisis often brought on by a viral or bacterial infection and can be contagious.
LanaStock / Getty Images
LanaStock / Getty Images
Can I Wear Contacts If I Have Pink Eye?
Wearing contact lenses if you have pink eye should be avoided until your pink eye is gone.
One reason is you should avoid touching your eyes if you have a viral or bacterial pink eye infection.
The more you do, the more you are likely to spread the infection.
This is also why you shouldn’t wear eye makeup when you have viral or bacterial pink eye.
Wearing contact lenses will only make this worse.
Pink Eye Treatments
Pink eye will often resolve on its own.
If you are dealing with contagious pink eye, you may be given medication in certain circumstances.
Antibiotic eye drops may be prescribed if you havebacterial pink eye.
However, antibiotic drops orointmentswill not helpviral pink eye.
This condition will usually clear up without treatment in around seven to 10 days.
If necessary, your primary care provider can offer you treatment for pink eye.
You should seek treatment if:
When Is It Safe to Wear Contacts?
If you havedisposable lenses, be sure to use a new pair.
The transparent conjunctiva becomes inflamed with this condition, and irritated blood vessels make the eye appear pink.
These will not help in cases triggered by a viral infection, allergies, or irritants.
Avoiding the irritants is recommended for pink eye associated with allergies or chemicals.
Contact lenses can also irritate the eyes.
In the case of contagious pink eye, contacts can also spread germs.
You should not wear them until after the pink eye has resolved.
Fortunately, pink eye goes away on its own within a week or so, even without treatment.
Then you could go back to wearing contact lenses, just as you did before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
Unless your lenses are designed to be worn overnight, you should not be sleeping in them.
Wearing contact lenses overnight increases your risk of corneal ulcers, which can lead to visual impairment or blindness.
Without any treatment, pink eye usually goes away in a week or two.
For cases brought on by more serious viruses such asherpes simplexorvaricella-zoster, antiviral medication may be prescribed.
You don’t want to reintroduce germs to the eye.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye (conjunctivitis): causes.
Stanford Health Care.Pink eye treatment.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Can I wear contact lenses while I have pink eye?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Conjunctivitis (pink eye): treatment.
National Eye Institute.Treatment for pink eye.
