Can an Eye Infection Go Away on Its Own?

Can an Eye Infection Go Away on Its Own?

Eye infections cause eyes to become uncomfortable, red, itchy, or swollen. The leading causes of eye infections are fungi, bacteria, and viruses. 

 

Fortunately, eye infections are easy to detect, and you can get early treatment. Unlike other ocular conditions, they present warning symptoms before they cause damage. Some infections need treatment, while some will often resolve on their own.

 

Common Eye Infections

Pink Eye

Pink eye or conjunctivitis is a common eye infection. It can be of three types—allergic, bacterial, or viral. The pathogen often infects the blood vessels in the thin covering of the eyeball, the conjunctiva. 

 

The infection causes your eye to redden and swell, thus the name pink eye. Sometimes, it can be comorbid with another illness like the flu. You may develop pink eye after some chemicals enter your eye. 

 

Symptoms of Pink Eye

• Redness or pinkish color in the eye

• Watery discharge that is extremely thick in the morning

• Feeling of sand in the eye or itchiness

• More tears in one eye, though both can have excess tears

Treatment

Pink eye often goes away in a few weeks even without treatment. But if you are too uncomfortable, you can get treatment to heal faster. The following are treatments for the different types of pink eye:

 

Bacterial

Oral medications or antibiotic eye drops kill off the bacteria in your eyes. With treatment, the symptoms will disappear in just a few days.

Viral

Viral conjunctivitis has no treatment available. The symptoms will often resolve after a week. You may apply a warm, clean cloth to your eyes to relieve the symptoms during the infection.

 

Allergic

You can take antihistamines and anti-inflammatory eye drops to help resolve the symptoms. You can buy most of these over the counter.

 

Keratitis

Keratitis is another common eye infection that affects the cornea. The cornea is the outermost part of the eye over the iris and pupil. It can occur due to a fungal, bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection. Keratitis means swollen cornea.

Symptoms of Keratitis

• Swelling and redness of the affected eye

• Discomfort or pain in the eye

• Abnormal discharge from eyes or too many tears

• Pain when you blink

• Blurry vision or loss of some vision

• Sensitivity to light

• Feeling of sand or gravel in the eye
  
   

Some things may predispose you to develop keratitis, like wearing contacts, weak immunity, humid climates, using corticosteroid eye drops, and others. 

 

Treatments

Bacterial

It would be best to have antibacterial eye drops to help clear the infection. The infection will subside in seven days if you maintain the dosage. If the condition is severe, you may need oral medication.

 

Fungal

Fungal keratitis takes weeks or months to resolve while undergoing treatment. You will need antifungal medication or eye drops.

Viral

The virus that causes viral keratitis cannot be eliminated. You can treat viral keratitis with antiviral medication or eye drops. The symptoms will subside after a few days or a week. However, the symptoms may return even after treatment.

For more information on how to properly treat an eye infection, contact Lifetime Vision and Eye Care at our office in Miami Gardens, Florida. Call (305) 902-3320 to book an appointment today.