If you are worried about spreading pink eye and want to know if it is contagious, you should be aware that the most common forms are indeed infectious. Viral and bacterial pink eye are both quite contagious, which means that they are easily spread. For this reason, washing your hands often is particularly important when you have this condition.
One of the reasons that children get this eye condition so often is because they have contact with other kids at school, and they are notorious for carrying lots of germs. Once one child is infected, he often passes it to classmates and even teachers, allowing the cycle to continue. This is especially true when a child does not know the symptoms for pink eye, and thus still goes to school in the early days of the infection. When it comes to pink eye, contagious students should stay home until cleared by their doctor to return to school. This is usually within one or two days of starting the antibiotic if it is a bacterial infection. Viral infections usually stay contagious until the symptoms are gone since there is no official treatment for it.
Non-Contagious Forms
On the other hand, there are some forms of pink eye that are not contagious. For example, allergic conjunctivitis is caused by allergies to substances like dust. When it comes to this kind of pink eye, contagious discharge is not present since there is no bacteria or virus in the fluids that come from the eyes in such cases. Instead of flushing out an infection, the eyes are actually trying to flush out the irritants, causing them to become red, itchy, and watery.
Chemical pink eye is also not contagious, for the same reasons that allergic conjunctivitis is not. The eyes are not fighting infection, but just trying to get rid of the irritant, such as a chemical. The symptoms seem the same, except this form of pink eye usually clears up in a day or two, as soon as the irritant is gone.
Take Precautions
When it comes to pink eye, contagious forms certainly dominate the non-contagious types, as most people get bacterial or viral pink eye. For this reason, it is important to find out what form you have by heading to the eye doctor before you assume that yours is not contagious. Until you can get a diagnosis, it is best to assume that it is contagious just as a precaution, which means that you should wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your eyes.