By AC Hall

Eyes that are super red and irritated from pink eye. Photo credit: AC Hall.

I woke up to my screaming alarm with my eyes glued shut and a burning sensation. After soaking my eyes with hot rags, I pulled my lashes apart and saw demonic eyes looking back at me in the mirror. I was horrified and accepted the defeat. I had been plagued by the Richmond pink eye epidemic.

Pink eye has been rapidly spreading throughout the Richmond area, particularly among high school-aged kids. The virus specifically spread through the Upper Schools of Collegiate, St. Christopher’s, and St. Catherine’s. To put it in perspective, June Evins (‘23) says, “almost every person I have talked to has pink eye or has a friend who has been affected by it.”

Pink eye is very common in newborns and Lower School-aged children. However, my pediatrician highlighted that the current patients with pink eye are primarily high school-age students and young children. Why is this the case? In high school students, this likely results from lousy sanitation, sharing eye makeup, and close contact with one another, issues that babies commonly do not encounter. In addition, because it is winter, we are spending more time inside together. The increase in our illnesses may also be partly resulting from our immune systems weakening in isolation during COVID-19. Element Care states that “Social engagement is associated with a stronger immune system” and “It also benefits overall health and enables individuals to fight off colds, the flu or even some types of cancer.  Interacting with others will boost feelings of well-being and decrease feelings of depression.”

Conjunctivitis, informally called pink eye, is a very irritating illness. The Mayo Clinic states that pink eye symptoms include:

• Redness in one or both eyes.
• Itchiness in one or both eyes.
• A gritty feeling in one or both eyes.
• A discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night that may prevent your eye or eyes from opening in the morning.
• Tearing.
• Sensitivity to light, called photophobia.

Living with the illness is very tedious, as you have to put in eye drops, sometimes including prescription antibiotics, three times a day for at least seven days. If you fail to do so, the symptoms will return. I learned this the hard way. On my fourth day on the eye drops, I forgot to put in the drops, and the following morning I woke up to find that my case of pink eye had returned in full force.

Double pink eye.                                                      Photo credit: AC Hall.

My peers also had negative experiences with the virus. McKenna Boardman (‘24) described her experience with pink eye as “quick but deadly.” Her symptoms only lasted two days, but it was not a light case. She described her vision with pink eye as “very blurry.”

Pink eye is a very contagious illness. Unfortunately, the virus spread rapidly among students. Students do not feel like they can miss school, and this may have resulted in some students coming to school while contagious. One student stated that she “would rather come to school sick than miss a day of classes.” At Collegiate and many other schools, Zoom is only available for students who have tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, many students with other conditions, like pink eye, may fall behind in work. They cannot attend school because they are contagious; however, they cannot utilize Zoom for classes. As a result, many ill students return to school sooner than they should because they fear getting behind, bringing their germs with them.

The CDC states that pink eye “can spread easily from person to person.” Therefore, to prevent the spread, one should follow the steps below to minimize the spread.

• Frequently washing hands (20 seconds with soap and warm water).
• Washing or discarding contaminated items such as pillowcases, eye masks, blankets, eyelash curlers, and eye makeup.
• Not sharing eye makeup (mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, etc.).

Harper Hailes (‘24) described her experience with pinkeye as “very irritating and uncomfortable.” She had pink eye for “a little over a week” and said the worst part of the experience was “waking up and having to pry her eyelids open every morning.” I experienced this same thing. The mornings with pink eye were the worst, as that is when the swelling and redness are at their peak. The first few mornings, it is common to wake up with your eyes completely swollen shut.

Overall, pink eye is disgusting. The treatment is tedious, and the redness, swelling, and itchiness feels never-ending. Hailes says, “I would not wish pink eye on anyone,” and I fully agree.

Featured image credit: pxhere.com.