If you suspect your child has pinkeye, it is important for him to be seen by your family doctor in order to determine the type of infection he has and proper treatment of the condition. It’s not uncommon for serious eye complications to be mistaken for pinkeye by parents and caregivers. Children should also be seen by your doctor if they complain of sensitivity to light, eye pain, or changes in their eyesight.
If your child contracts pinkeye and it has not improved in three days after treatment, have your doctor take another look, as underlying factors may be present.
Other symptoms that should be cared for by a doctor or other medical professional include soreness of the eyelid or the skin around the eye as well as excessive drainage, yellow or green discharge, swelling or fever. Fever in a child with pinkeye could mean that the infection is present in the eye tissue. If this occurs, your child will need a round of antibiotics to clear the infection.
If in doubt at any time during the duration of the pinkeye, contact your child’s pediatrician or your family doctor. Eyesight is a miraculous sense and something to be protected at all costs.