Does My Son (6) Need to See Dr for Pink Eye or Will It Go Away on Its Own?

Depends on whether it's viral or bacterial, but only a medical care professional can determine that. Bacterial will NOT go away on its own and will spread to other family members. I would follow the doctor's advice and take him in.

Bacterial pink eye is terribly contagious. You do need to take him in. There are two kinds - bacterial and viral. Viral isn't contagious, but you do need medicine to clear it up. And the medicines are different for the two kinds of eye infections.

If it's bacterial, he'll probably end up with it in the other eye. Everything he touches after he touches his eye is contaminated. Including towels and washcloths. It's very easy for the whole family to get it.

So please take him to the EYE doctor. They have the expertise to tell whether it's bacterial or viral.

Good luck!
Dawn

Pink Eye never goes away on it's own. You must go see the doctor.

It is highly contagious but more importantly if left untreated swelling may occur which could damage the optic nerve. Don't mess around. Take him in.

Yes! It can keep spreading from eye to eye and never go away.

Pink eye is extremely contagious, I would see the dr.

Pink eye is the gentle term for conjunctivitis ie. eye infection. It is HIGHLY contagious and you really, really need to take him to the pediatrician to be seen. It will NOT go away on its own and he really needs an Rx to have it taken care of. He'll likely be given antibiotic eye drops assuming it's a bacterial infection. He'll have to take them for 7-10 days. If the infection is aggressive and doesn't show signs of improvement after a couple of days or keeps returning then he's get oral antibiotics.

You're going to have to wash surfaces and keep his hands clean and out of his eyes. But get him to the doctor ASAP. It's the most responsible thing to do.

As others have said, pink eye is highly contagious. Not to mention, we're talking about your child's eyes, here. It's also very uncomfortable & irritating. Did I mention it's highly contagious? Why would you want to prolong that?! Please take him to the doctor.

personally? I would want my son's vision to last him a life time and pink eye can cause problems if not treated properly.

Go to the doctor. Get the drops. Without sending your son through the roof - talk with him about the drops - they are going to help his eyes. You can have him tilt his head back and close his eyes - put the drop and then have him blink...this shouldn't be a fight. Don't make it one. While the blinking them in is NOT the best solution, it is one way to do it.

You need to take him in. Pink eye is not only painful; it's contagious.

I sympathize about the eye drops. I can hardly stand to have my eyes dilated at a regular checkup! The only way I can put drops in my own eyes is to sit in a chair, tilt my head back until I can look at the ceiling, close my eye, drop the drop into the area beside it, open the eye, and let the drop go in. Drops are not my idea of a good time, but sometimes it has to be done, and that seems to work for me.

also, until it's gone, you should put a clean pillowcase on his bed each night and make sure he uses a clean wash cloth for his face each day (don't allow someone else to use it) just in case there is a sibling.... of course, hand washing is a must , esp if he touches his eyes... When I have had it, I didn't use drops, instead, there boric acid (no, it's not like the name sounds) and is also what's in contact lens solution .. you can get it at your local local Duane Reed. in it, there are two eye wash cases, you add the medicine and do a rinse.. for me, this is what worked..

best of luck to you

You can pick up some homeopathic drop at any drug store. They work just as well as the ointment. If it doesn't clear up in a day or so I would still take him in. He could have something in his eye that is irritating it.

Yes! Take him to the doc. The sooner, the better. Conjunctivitis can go bad really quickly.

A few years ago, I took my daughter in to the pedi because her eye was slightly swollen, slightly pink, but not goopy. The nurse freaked out! She practically flew into the waiting room from behind the desk and showed us to a room right away warning us to not touch anything. The doc took one look at her and had the nurse take her to the bathroom to show her the proper way to wash her hands. He told me that the conjunctivitis might have turned into Orbital Cellulitis, which is a bone infection. They were talking hospitalization, MRIs, possible surgery. At worst, she could have lost that eye. He put her on massive antibiotics - both oral and drops. We had to go back to the doc a few days later to see if the swelling had gone down. It had. Fortunately, the infection went away and she didn't need any further course of treatment.

Very scary.

I hope your son feels better soon.

Yes you need to go to the Dr. it is contageous.

Only the doctor can tell you what type of conjunctivitis it is - viral, bacterial or allergic, so you can't know on your own whether the drops are necessary. If it were me, I would take him to the doctor.

He needs a doctor. They will prescribe eye medication.

I would take him to the Doctor. I have had pink eye several times in my life and it does not go away on its own. When I was a teenager and would get it I would only use the drops once or twice, not as directed and it would always come right back. Plus, it's highly contagious so if he really has pink eye he shouldn't be going to school.

Take him to the Dr. immediately! The pink eye is highly contageous. So contageous that the family cat can catch it, if you have a family cat. Get the eye drops and do warm compresses. I had it a lot as a child and it's not fun.

It seems like there may be some inaccurate info. below. If it's bacterial, he will benefit from drops. If it's viral, he won't. Depending upon his overall symptoms, the Dr. can come up with a plan. Pink eye can go away without any medical treatment, but you might benefit from a MD's opinion about best way to proceed.
Best wishes.