Types of eye drops for pink eye

Key takeaways

• Pink eye, also called conjunctivitis, may require different types of eye drops depending on the cause. Fluoroquinolone eye drops can treat bacterial conjunctivitis, while antihistamine and mast cell stabilizer eye drops may help with allergic conjunctivitis.
• Artificial tears can help with any type of pink eye by keeping your eyes clean, preventing dryness, and improving itching and inflammation. For allergic conjunctivitis, they may help wash away allergens that deposit on the eye.
• Other treatment options include over-the-counter topical or oral antihistamines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain relief, and corticosteroids for chronic and severe allergic conjunctivitis. 

Overview

There are several types of eye drops, and each one may help speed up your recovery from pink eye in different ways. Doctors may recommend using a specific type of eye drops depending on the cause of your pink eye.

While some types of pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, do not generally require treatment, people with certain forms, such as those caused by bacteria, may need antibiotic eye drops to treat the bacterial infection in their eyes.

Eye drops may also help improve symptoms of pink eye, such as inflammation and itchiness. Artificial tears may be helpful for allergies.

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Antibiotic eye drops

Pink eye may be caused by a bacterial infection. In these cases, antibiotic eye drops are usually the first-line treatment option as these can fight the bacteria causing the infection.

Fluoroquinolones are a strong class of antibiotics that can treat severe or hard-to-treat bacterial infections. They come in different forms, and the eye drop forms may be prescribed for bacterial eye infections like pink eye.

Types of fluoroquinolone eye drops include:

• besifloxacin ophthalmic (Besivance)
• polymyxin B and trimethoprim (Polytrim)
• gentamicin
• ciprofloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic (Ciloxan)
• gatifloxacin ophthalmic (Zymaxid)
• moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic (Vigamox)
• ofloxacin ophthalmic (Ocuflox)

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Antihistamine eye drops

Antihistamine eye drops may help people with allergic conjunctivitis by preventing the release of a substance called histamine. The immune system typically releases histamines in your body when you come into contact with a substance you are allergic to, and this is what causes your symptoms.

Antihistamine eye drops can also provide relief from their symptoms, such as:

• burning
• itching
• redness
• tearing

Antihistamine eye drops for allergic conjunctivitis may include:

• olopatadine (Pataday)
• ketotifen (Zaditor)
• azelastine (Optivar)

Mast cell stabilizer eye drops

Mast cell stabilizer eye drops may help people with allergic conjunctivitis. This type of eye drop does not provide immediate relief from pink eye symptoms, but it may be more effective in managing symptoms over time.

Mast cell stabilizers block a calcium channel essential for mast cell degranulation. Blocking this process can prevent the release of histamine and the consequent inflammation.

Doctors may prescribe mast cell stabilizer eye drops alongside antihistamine eye drops as mast cell stabilizers may take several weeks before they start improving your pink eye.

Mast cell stabilizer eye drops for allergic conjunctivitis may include:

• epinastine (Elestat)
• ketotifen (Zaditor)
• lodoxamide (Alomide)
• nedocromil (Alocril)
• pemirolast (Alamast)
• cromolyn (Cromolyn)

Artificial tears

Artificial tears, or lubricant eye drops, can help people with any type of pink eye to keep their eyes clean, preventing dryness and improving itching and inflammation.

Artificial tears may be beneficial for people with allergic conjunctivitis as these can help wash away the allergens that deposit on the eye and cause inflammation. Keeping them refrigerated may also help relieve discomfort.

Artificial tears are an over-the-counter (OTC) medication. If you have any concerns about what type of artificial tears you can use to treat your pink eye, a pharmacist can recommend the most appropriate option.

Other treatment options

There are several treatment options for pink eye that people can use alongside or instead of eye drops. OTC medications, such as topical or oral antihistamines, may provide relief from allergic conjunctivitis.

Topical antihistamines for pink eye may include bepotastine (Bepreve) and epinastine (Elestat).

Oral antihistamines for pink eye may include:

• fexofenadine (Allegra)
• cetirizine (Zyrtec)
• loratadine (Claritin)
• levocetirizine (Xyzal)
• desloratadine (Clarinex)

Ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may provide pain relief.

Corticosteroids may also be a treatment option for people with chronic and severe allergic conjunctivitis. Corticosteroids can inhibit the inflammatory response that an allergic reaction can cause and reduce symptoms.

Online care for pink eye

Pink eye may go away on its own in many cases, but it’s important to seek evaluation to see if you may need treatment.

Online care services, including Optum Perks Online Care, may make getting treatment easier. With these services, you can submit an online form answering a few questions about your symptoms, and a US-licensed healthcare professional will respond soon after to prescribe a treatment plan.

It’s important to note that, in many cases, you will likely need an in-person evaluation for a visual exam to check for infection.

Summary

There are several types of eye drops that you can use to treat your conjunctivitis. Doctors can recommend the most appropriate type of eye drop medication depending on the cause of your conjunctivitis.

While certain kinds of eye drops only work for bacterial or allergic conjunctivitis, other types, like artificial tears, may help relieve your symptoms regardless of the cause of your condition.

OTC medications and other types of oral and topical drugs are available for treating conjunctivitis. Doctors may recommend using these drugs in combination with eye drops or as a substitute when eye drops may not be suitable for you.

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