“How long should my son be at home with pink eye?”
My son has pink eye that he has probably gotten from school. He seems to have recovered, but I still have kept him home for an extra measure. How long do children normally stay home with pink eye?
7 Answers
24 hrs from start of RX
1-2 days until eyes are no longer draining
When a pediatric patient gets diagnosed and treated for pink eye with eye drops, there is usually no need to miss school. I usually ask my patients to practice good hygiene with good hand washing and avoiding rubbing the eyes. Parents can take a note to school stating that it is okay for the child to go back since the child is being treated!
24 hrs after initiation of treatment
Typically treatment for eye infection (commonly knows as pink eye) is from 5-7 days. Usually the improvement after the use of eye drops is pretty promp, typically 24-48 hours. As long as there is redness or discharge with the eye, it is recommended that the patient stays home from school. After 24-48 hours of eye drops and clinical improvement, there is no need for further isolation.
Complete the eye drops for 1 week if bacterial and if under treatment can attend school immediately. If viral as soon as the tedbess is gone.
As soon as the eyes look normal, going to school should not be delayed.
