Eye infections show up in different ways. And a lot of it depends on which part of your eye has a problem. For example, you can get an eye infection in your eyelid, cornea, or conjunctiva. If you start itching in your eyes, feeling some irritation, or your eyes turn pink, chances are you have an infection. Although your eye doctor should have the last call, understanding a thing or two about eye infections can help with treatment.

Common Eye Infections

Eye infections may occur due to the invasion of viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Some eye infections require simple treatment to clear, but others are serious and require immediate medical attention. We encounter different eye infections at Wally Kojima, O.D., and Associates daily. Some include:

• Pink eye: Pink eye occurs when blood vessels in your conjunctiva get infected with viruses or bacteria. As a result, the eyes become red or pink and inflamed. Pink eye can also occur due to exposure to chemicals or allergies. Symptoms include pinkish or reddish eyes, watery discharge, and itchiness.
• Keratitis: This occurs when the cornea is infected. Keratitis may result from a bacterial infection, fungal, parasitic, viral, or eye injury. Some of the symptoms associated with keratitis include eye pain, swelling, abnormal discharge, or producing more tears.
• Endophthalmitis: Endophthalmitis is severe inflammation inside your eyes due to a fungal or bacterial infection. Some symptoms include mild to severe pain, blurry vision, or eye discharge.
• Stye: This is a painful bump on the edge of your eyelid that occurs when an oil gland is infected
• Blepharitis: It's inflammation along the eyelids' edges. Symptoms include itchiness, eye redness, and crustiness in the eyelashes.

Eye Infection Treatment

Following a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will determine the cause of the infection and may recommend the following treatment.

• If it's bacterial, antibiotic eye drops may be recommended, or oral medications
• For viral infections, no treatment is required but normally fades away with time
• Fungal requires antifungal eye drops to kill the fungal organisms

Schedule an Appointment with Our Eye Doctor in Kailua-Kona, HI 

Eye infections need prompt intervention. The earlier you get help from an optometrist, the lesser the complications. If you are in Kailua-Kona, HI, and its environs, and suspect you have an eye infection, look further than Wally Kojima, O.D., and Associates for treatment. Call us at (808) 31-8081 for more information or to schedule an appointment.