Since last January, Student Health has diagnosed more than 300 cases of conjunctivitis, more… Since last January, Student Health has diagnosed more than 300 cases of conjunctivitis, more commonly known as pink eye, in Pitt students. The disease is caused by an inflammation of the conjunctiva, or by the clearing that covers the whites of the eye.

Pink eye can be bacterial or viral in origin — or it can be caused by an allergic reaction. In its bacterial and viral forms, the disease is highly contagious.

According to Dr. Elizabeth Wettick, the senior physician of Student Health, the disease is characterized by red, inflamed, itchy eyes and is often accompanied by discharge that can cause the eyelids to stick together, especially after sleeping. The actual symptoms of the disease depend on which form is contracted.

Linda Hand, clinic manager for Student Health, noted that it is possible to avoid contracting pink eye if someone that you know is suffering from the disease.

“One of the main things to avoid is putting your fingers to your eyes or touching the corners of your eyes,” Hand said. “We tend to introduce things to our eyes by doing this, especially if our hands are not clean.”

Another method that Hand noted to protect yourself against the disease was to wash your hands.

Dr. Wettick suggested exercising constant vigilance to avoid pink eye.

“Think of how often other students are touching the same things that you are touching,” Wettick said. “When students walk into a large lecture hall, what do they do? They chew their nails, touch their faces, rub their eyes.”

Because of the high potential of spreading germs while in the classroom, she offered the simple advice “don’t touch your face while in class.”

Peak pink eye season occurs during the winter months. It mirrors cold season, as the same virus that causes the common cold can be responsible for pink eye. According to Wettick, it is especially important to exercise caution during this time because “if someone scratches their itchy eyes and then touches a hard surface and then you touch the same surface and then touch your eyes, you can get it.”

If you do already have pink eye, it is important to remember to wash your hands immediately if you do touch your eyes.

Pink eye is not the only cause of red itchy eyes. Wettick said that Student Health has a number of students who wear contacts who come in complaining of pink eye. Frequently, these students have corneal abrasions, the symptoms of which are similar to pink eye.

Corneal abrasions can result from an irritant getting caught under a contact and scratching the cornea, or the clear part that covers the iris in your eye. In order to avoid this condition, contact wearers should never wear their contacts to bed.