Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>New Trend Of Pink Eye Just Being A Cold In The Eye
crazydaycarelady 11:23 AM 01-20-2014
Have any of you noticed this? Pink eye used to be just that, pink eye! It was contagious, you got drops and stayed home.
The last couple of years I have sent kids home with pink eye and the parents or doctor report that it is just a cold in the eye.
Well, this morning I had a mom diagnose her child with a cold in the eye. His eye is all red and when I asked if was goopy too she said yes, but it was just a cold. The baby looks miserable, was in his pjs at noon, and mom is not even working today!!
I looked online and there seems to be no real way to tell if it is viral or infectious conjunctivitis.
The last couple of years I have sent kids home with pink eye and the parents or doctor report that it is just a cold in the eye.
Well, this morning I had a mom diagnose her child with a cold in the eye. His eye is all red and when I asked if was goopy too she said yes, but it was just a cold. The baby looks miserable, was in his pjs at noon, and mom is not even working today!!
I looked online and there seems to be no real way to tell if it is viral or infectious conjunctivitis.
itlw8 11:27 AM 01-20-2014
well with one the child gets eye drops and can come back in 24 hours after the drops are started
and the other one the child can come back when the eye is not red and goopy.
and the other one the child can come back when the eye is not red and goopy.
itlw8 11:34 AM 01-20-2014
both are pink eye. the viral one will clear on its own in 7 to 10 days. IF you do not touch or rub your eyes you can prevent spreading it to the other eye or other people.
so what the Dr means is you do not HAVE to have antibiotics you can treat it at home with warm wet washcloths// But WE have to keep it from spreading. so my answer is Did you get eye drops? if yes the child may come back 24 to 48 hours after the first drops.
NO then your child may come back when the eye is clear so I will see you in 7 to 10 days
so what the Dr means is you do not HAVE to have antibiotics you can treat it at home with warm wet washcloths// But WE have to keep it from spreading. so my answer is Did you get eye drops? if yes the child may come back 24 to 48 hours after the first drops.
NO then your child may come back when the eye is clear so I will see you in 7 to 10 days
craftymissbeth 11:47 AM 01-20-2014
Originally Posted by itlw8:
both are pink eye. the viral one will clear on its own in 7 to 10 days. IF you do not touch or rub your eyes you can prevent spreading it to the other eye or other people.
so what the Dr means is you do not HAVE to have antibiotics you can treat it at home with warm wet washcloths// But WE have to keep it from spreading. so my answer is Did you get eye drops? if yes the child may come back 24 to 48 hours after the first drops.
NO then your child may come back when the eye is clear so I will see you in 7 to 10 days
both are pink eye. the viral one will clear on its own in 7 to 10 days. IF you do not touch or rub your eyes you can prevent spreading it to the other eye or other people.
so what the Dr means is you do not HAVE to have antibiotics you can treat it at home with warm wet washcloths// But WE have to keep it from spreading. so my answer is Did you get eye drops? if yes the child may come back 24 to 48 hours after the first drops.
NO then your child may come back when the eye is clear so I will see you in 7 to 10 days
Yep. In fact, I have it in my symptom policy that any eye discharge calls for an exclusion. Did dck go to the doctor for it or did dcm diagnose it herself?
cara041083 12:05 PM 01-20-2014
This happened to me! My two oldest kids woke up one morning with very pink eyes and they was matted shut with green stuff. I took them straight to the walk in clinic at there doc so that I could get it under control fast before everyone else got it and sure enough, It wasn't pink eye but a sinus infection and a slight ear infection that was causing the drainage to back up in the eye. I had to get a print out from the doc just so the school would believe me.
crazydaycarelady 12:18 PM 01-20-2014
Well, there seems to be some confusion. My dcps think or have been told that if it is a cold in they eye you can't exclude. I am glad I laid this baby down right away so he hasn't been around the other kids!
Kabob 12:22 PM 01-20-2014
I had a dck here too that got a goopy eye from a sinus infection. Either way, that counts as sick and I've learned to apply my sick policy accordingly. If they can't participate because you said so then that's that. Besides...colds are contagious. 
daycarediva 01:22 PM 01-20-2014
Originally Posted by itlw8:
both are pink eye. the viral one will clear on its own in 7 to 10 days. IF you do not touch or rub your eyes you can prevent spreading it to the other eye or other people.
so what the Dr means is you do not HAVE to have antibiotics you can treat it at home with warm wet washcloths// But WE have to keep it from spreading. so my answer is Did you get eye drops? if yes the child may come back 24 to 48 hours after the first drops.
NO then your child may come back when the eye is clear so I will see you in 7 to 10 days
I do this, too. I always tell parents I exclude for SYMPTOMS. If the symptom of cold in the eye is red eye that is draining or goopy, they stay home until it's clear.both are pink eye. the viral one will clear on its own in 7 to 10 days. IF you do not touch or rub your eyes you can prevent spreading it to the other eye or other people.
so what the Dr means is you do not HAVE to have antibiotics you can treat it at home with warm wet washcloths// But WE have to keep it from spreading. so my answer is Did you get eye drops? if yes the child may come back 24 to 48 hours after the first drops.
NO then your child may come back when the eye is clear so I will see you in 7 to 10 days
AnneCordelia 01:27 PM 01-20-2014
Unless a swab is done its impossible to differentiate between viral and bacterial pinkeye. Bacterial pink eye isnt contagious after 24 hours of abx drops, but abx drops wont do a thing for viral pinkeye. With that in mind I exclude for symptoms. When eyes are bright, clear, and discharge-free then the child can return to care.
TwinKristi 04:14 PM 01-20-2014
Originally Posted by AnneCordelia:
Unless a swab is done its impossible to differentiate between viral and bacterial pinkeye. Bacterial pink eye isnt contagious after 24 hours of abx drops, but abx drops wont do a thing for viral pinkeye. With that in mind I exclude for symptoms. When eyes are bright, clear, and discharge-free then the child can return to care.
^^ yep! Unless a swab is done its impossible to differentiate between viral and bacterial pinkeye. Bacterial pink eye isnt contagious after 24 hours of abx drops, but abx drops wont do a thing for viral pinkeye. With that in mind I exclude for symptoms. When eyes are bright, clear, and discharge-free then the child can return to care.
There's no way to tell without swabbing it and ain't nobody got time for that. LOL I had a DCB with this goopy eye business numerous times. We did drops and sometimes we didn't but one time they said it was obviously bacterial due to the amount of discharge and swelling. The little bag under his eye had almost like doubled in size and you could see a difference in the appearance of the skin from the swelling. I forget what it's called but there's a term for it. Anyway, he ALWAYS had issues with that eye when he was sick. I could always tell something was brewing by the redness and puffiness in his eye and sure enough he was always sick within days, a week max. The Ped said some kids have more or less narrow eye tubes and bacteria backs up easier in narrow tubes. He's had multiple ear infections, eye infections, etc. Some kids are just prone to it.
Like others said, exclude for symptoms not diagnosis.
taylorw1210 06:46 AM 01-21-2014
I had a dcm bring her 4 yo to me today, without her 6 mo. old. When I commented on the missing little one, she said the baby woke up with a crusty red eye and dcd was taking her to the dr. I commented, "Awe, no Anabel today" and she corrected me saying that if it is not pink eye, the dad would be bringing her by. I had to tell her that no, she will be welcome back when she is either 1. on eye drops for over 24 hours or 2. has clear eyes. I'm not sure why parents think they can bring their sick kids and infect all the others, but they sure do try to get away with it constantly!
KIDZRMYBIZ 08:06 AM 01-21-2014
Yep. In the last 2-3 years, every time I send a kiddo home with blood-shot, goopy eyes, I get a call or text from DCM or DCD saying, "It's not pink-eye. It's just conjunctivitis, or a cold in the eye. We'll be back in the morning." Well, no shoot, Sherlock! That is the medical term for what is commonly termed pink-eye! Look it up!
Makes me so mad. Yep, sorry, DCP. You are going to have to "waste" one of your personal days for this. Welcome to parenthood.
But, hey, if your little darling spreads it to me, daycare will be closed for 2 additional days, I promise you. That should give you the incentive to do the right thing.
Makes me so mad. Yep, sorry, DCP. You are going to have to "waste" one of your personal days for this. Welcome to parenthood.
But, hey, if your little darling spreads it to me, daycare will be closed for 2 additional days, I promise you. That should give you the incentive to do the right thing.
SilverSabre25 08:13 AM 01-21-2014
Last fall my DD got pink-eye. I figured it out as she got home from school, instructed her not to touch the eye, kept her away, and got her to the Minute Clinic as soon as daycare was over. I closed the next day and kept her home from school. DD"s was bacterial.
THREE WEEKS LATER, dcg has pink-eye. It's clearly viral, as it didn't respond to drops. It spread to EVERYONE--her parents and brother, me and DH, the other daycare kids. The parents of DCG who brought it in blamed us, despite my explaining that a) it was going around--there was a flu-y thing that people all over the city were getting that was ending with pink eye! b) the incubation period is a few hours to a few days....not three weeks! and c) theirs was viral, DD's was bacterial, there's a difference.
I was friends with various sets of parents on FB and saw a few interesting gems, such as "babysitters kid had pink-eye and spread it to us, it's their fault" and a parent's friend who said, "Blame it on the daycare since it's caused by other people's poop getting in the eye."
THREE WEEKS LATER, dcg has pink-eye. It's clearly viral, as it didn't respond to drops. It spread to EVERYONE--her parents and brother, me and DH, the other daycare kids. The parents of DCG who brought it in blamed us, despite my explaining that a) it was going around--there was a flu-y thing that people all over the city were getting that was ending with pink eye! b) the incubation period is a few hours to a few days....not three weeks! and c) theirs was viral, DD's was bacterial, there's a difference.
I was friends with various sets of parents on FB and saw a few interesting gems, such as "babysitters kid had pink-eye and spread it to us, it's their fault" and a parent's friend who said, "Blame it on the daycare since it's caused by other people's poop getting in the eye."
KIDZRMYBIZ 09:03 AM 01-21-2014
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
I was friends with various sets of parents on FB and saw a few interesting gems, such as "babysitters kid had pink-eye and spread it to us, it's their fault" and a parent's friend who said, "Blame it on the daycare since it's caused by other people's poop getting in the eye."
Good Lord! What it WRONG with some people?!?! I've had plenty of families that blame everything they ever get on daycare. Just this November, 3 DCK's from 2 different families had flu, and somehow the flu another DCB has in January is directly related to it.I was friends with various sets of parents on FB and saw a few interesting gems, such as "babysitters kid had pink-eye and spread it to us, it's their fault" and a parent's friend who said, "Blame it on the daycare since it's caused by other people's poop getting in the eye."