Pink eye. Conjunctivitis. What is it?
Although there are other causes of a red eye, by far the most common is a viral (or possibly allergic) origin.
Neither of those is treated with antibiotics successfully.
Tears themselves are antibacterial agents.
Why then do doctors reflexively prescribe antibiotic eye drops to treat it?
Why do some schools, places of employment, and even hospitals, require treatment for 24 hours with an antibiotic before returning to work? The patient will still be contagious, if its viral, and it can't improve the disease.
We think its because of fear, a form of ignorance. Doctors are not comfortable diagnosing or treating "the red eye". So they give people the magic bullet, hoping to cover all bases. But we've seen many people return with a chemical conjunctivitis from the antibiotic eye drops.
So better to make a correct diagnosis and treat the problem symptomatically.
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