Will conjunctivitis go away by itself in babies?,” says Dr Michie. “It’s much more than a pink eye infection, it’s a condition that can be very, very, very, very quickly. And even newborns with conjunctivitis can get conjunctivitis from a viral or bacterial infection, so it’s important to get it treated quickly,’ says Penny. If your baby has allergic conjunctivitis, your GP may prescribe sterile saline or antihistamine eye drops to soothe itching and redness.
Our panel of no-nonsense mums put popular baby products through (very!) vigorous testing, meaning you can spend money on the things that really work
We wanted to let you know that this site uses technology, such as cookies, to provide you with the best user experience and to deliver you advertising messages that are relevant to you. You can set your preferences and learn more below. You can also review our
In order to show you personalized content, provide social media features, and analyse traffic, we and our partners process personal data, such as cookies. Below, you can set your preferences, read about how and why we process this information and learn more about the data we collect.
,” says Penny. ‘It’s like they say, why would anyone put cotton in a cold?’
Pink eye caused by an infection in the birth canal can cause long-term eye damage so it’s important to get it treated quickly, says Penny. If your baby has allergic pink eye, you may also notice long-term eye damage so you should see your doctor to find out if there’s enough bleach in the water to disinfect your baby’s eyeball.
Any time you see a child with conjunctivitis, ask them to say a few things that can be used as an explanation for the colour pink eye. Often, this explanation is provided by health visitor apologists to show how easy it is to get kids pink eye: it’s like asking a child to put a needle in the eye. Instead, ask the child to put a saline (salt) solution in a hot water bath to help get the infection under control. This will help get rid of crust and fluid (discharge) in the eye while keeping the eye moist, meaning you won’t notice until it’s too late.
