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Pink, but Not Pretty

Debunking the Myths of Pink Eye

By Lisa Hurt Kozarovich

"It's passed by contact – a kid rubs his eye, gets the goo on his hands, touches a toy, then along comes another kid who picks up the toy and then at some point rubs his eye," says Dr. Shook. "So it does spread easily among young children in daycare settings." The best way to avoid spreading pink eye is to make sure the child and those in contact with him wash their hands frequently and don't share towels, pillows or clothing.

Even then, the condition can spread. When Graves was diagnosed with pink eye, her doctor prescribed antibiotic eye drops and suggested she avoid her children until the condition cleared up. But as the mother of a 3-year-old and 8-month-old, the advice was impossible to follow. Although she washed frequently and thought she'd done all she could to avoid spreading, Graves' oldest child soon had pink eye and was also prescribed antibiotics. But Dr. Shook says antibiotics shouldn't be the answer for patients like Graves, an adult who can help prevent spreading, and her son, who wasn't in daycare or school at the time.

"We do people a disservice by prescribing antibiotics too often in cases like this, where they don't really help and they don't prevent spreading," says Dr. Shook. "What we end up with are these 'supergerms' that we're seeing that don't respond to antibiotics – then what can we do? In the long run, it's better just to ride it out."