How long does an eye infection last?

You can catch an eye infection due to bacteria or viruses found on the skin that don’t reside on your skin. In such cases, you suffer from an eye infection from other people by touching your eyes after shaking hands with the person or touching common things. The eye infection can spread by sharing different things like pillows, towels, and cosmetics.

Do eye infections vanish automatically?

Eye infections that occur due to viruses are mild and resolve automatically within a week or 2 weeks. An eye infection can be seriously caused due to herpes simplex virus.

If you are suffering from bacterial eye infections, you need antibiotic treatment. As a severe eye infection can harm vision, you need to consult an eye specialist if the symptoms are serious and last more than 2 days.

Get in touch with your healthcare provider instantly if you notice any vision changes. He may prescribe you medicines like Lotepred Eye Drops etc.,

How to cure an eye infection faster?

The quickest way to treat an eye infection solely depends on the cause of the infection. To cure it faster, you should identify the symptoms, and diagnose and treat the root cause of the infection by visiting a medical expert. The duration for which pink or red eye infections last depends on the treatment you are taking. The pink eye mostly clears within a couple of days or 2 weeks. 

Bacterial and viral pink eye infections

• Viral red/pink eye occurs due to adenovirus& herpes virus. It lasts for 7 to 14 days if you do not treat it. After 7-14 days it resolves automatically without medicines.
• Pink eye caused due to bacteria lasts for 24 hours and clears in 24 hours if you use antibiotics to cure them. If you do not take antibiotics, bacterial infection (mild) will improve in 10 days.

Pink eye is highly contagious provided you have symptoms like crusting, tearing, and redness in the eyes. These symptoms clear in 3-7 days.

With antibiotics, bacterial eye infections subside faster, but may not be useful to treat eye infections that occur due to viruses or other reasons.

Treating pink eye infection

In most cases, viral and bacterial pink eye resolve without treatment in a couple of days to 2 weeks. To get relief from the symptoms meanwhile:

• You can use lubricating eye drops or artificial tears to avoid dryness.
• Use warm or cold packs or moist compresses on your eye to reduce swelling.
• Wipe the discharge coming from the eyes using a tissue or wet cloth.

If you have a severe pink eye infection, your healthcare provider may prescribe eye drops. Viral pink eye that occurs due to herpes simplex responds well to antiviral medications. Antibiotic ointment or eye drops such as Lotepred Eye Drops help clear bacterial eye infection 

Tips to prevent re-infecting after pink eye infection is cured

• Throw out the makeup applicators or eye makeup you were using during the infection.
• Throw away disposable contact lenses & solutions used when you were having an infection.
• Clean & disinfect eyeglasses, hard contact lenses & cases.

Medication to treat eye infection

Lotepred Eye Drop is a steroid used to cure swollen eyes and redness in eyes caused due to allergies or infections. It offers relief from itchiness, redness, and soreness by obstructing the production of inflammation-causing substances in the body.

Do not use this eye drop if you notice a bottle with a broken seal for the first time. Washing your hands thoroughly will help you maintain hygiene while using the drops. Remove your contact lenses while putting the eye drops. Wait for fifteen minutes after putting the eye drops and then put on the contact lenses.

Do not stop using this eye drop unless your eye specialist asks you to do so. It will enable the growth of bacteria again which can bring back the infection. You may experience some side effects like watery eyes, irritation in eyes, and a burning sensation while using this eye drop. But, these side effects will go with time. For a short time, you may face changes in vision or blurred vision. During that period avoid using heavy tools or driving until you can see again.

Breastfeeding & pregnant women should speak to their medical experts before they start using these eye drops.

How will Lotepred Eye Drop benefit patients with eye infections?

These Loteprednol Eye drops relieve such as redness, swelling, watery eyes, itching, and pain that occur because of allergy or infection. These eye drops reduce the release of some chemicals that are responsible for causing eye infections.

Using these eye drops will make your daily routine easier. You will be able to perform everyday tasks effortlessly. Do not alter the dose and use it in the exact dose suggested by the eye doctor. If there is no improvement even after using it for a week, speak to your eye doctor.

Side effects

• Burning sensation
• Watery eyes
• Eye irritation

Remember, these eye drops are for external use. Read and understand the instructions present on the label. Bring the dropper close to your eye and do not touch the dropper’s tip. Slowly squeeze the dropper and put the medicine inside your lower eyelid. If any extra liquid spills around your eyes, wipe it using a tissue.

What are the conditions in which I should restrict using Lotepred Eye Drop?

Patients allergic to these eye drops or any of their ingredients should not use them. Also, if you know you have any allergies or using this eye drop for the first time, speak to your eye doctor.

What instructions should I follow for the disposal and storage of these eye drops?

• Keep the eye drop in its original pack or container tightly closed.
• Store the drops as per the instructions on the label or pack.
• Discard the unused eye drop bottle. Do not let kids or other people reach or misuse it.

When to consult your eye doctor?

In most cases, eye infections cure without treatment and do not cause any problems that last longer. But, severe eye infection (pink eye) can lead to swelling in your cornea.

• Treatment to avoid further complication
• Consult your eye doctor if you find
• Painful eyes
• Sensitivity to light, blurred vision, or vision problems
• Extremely red eyes
• Symptoms do not fade away even after 7 days without medication or after 24 hours of taking antibiotics.
• Symptoms get worst
• Have a weak immune system due to health conditions like HIV or cancer or due to medication you take.

Summary

An eye infection can be viral or bacterial. It can be in your eyes or tissue encircling your eyes. Common infections of the eye can impact the membrane that lies inside the eyelids and masks the eye whites and impacts the eyelid margin.

In any case, the infection needs to be treated to clear it faster. Visit the doctor for proper guidance, check-up and to get the right treatment. Using the medications properly will help you clear eye infections faster.

Devid watsan

As a medical researcher and blogger, Devid also enjoys writing health blogs in his free time. His blogs are known for their insightful and informative content, covering a wide range of topics related to health and wellness.