How to Prevent Pink Eye Spreading and Recognise Serious Eye Symptoms
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis spread mainly from eyes to hands to other people’s eyes, so careful handwashing and not sharing towels, pillowcases or eye products are the most effective ways to stop it. Allergic and irritant conjunctivitis are not contagious, but they can be prevented in other ways.
This guide focuses on how pink eye spreads, how to protect your household, and how to tell everyday irritation from symptoms that need prompt care. For the causes and treatment of conjunctivitis, see our guide to understanding pink eye.
How long is pink eye contagious?
Infectious conjunctivitis is contagious while the eye is red and discharging. For viral conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus, the most common cause in adults, that is often around 10 to 14 days from when symptoms start. Australian childcare guidance uses the discharge stopping as the point when a child can return.
Symptoms usually appear within a few days of exposure, although some viral infections take up to about two weeks to show. People can pass the virus on early, sometimes before the eye looks very red.
How pink eye spreads
| Route | How it happens | Main protection |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | Touching or wiping an infected eye, then touching your own eyes or someone else | Soap-and-water handwashing; keep hands away from eyes |
| Shared items | Towels, face washers, pillowcases, tissues, eye make-up and eye-drop bottles | One set per person; wash linen hot; discard used make-up |
| Surfaces | Adenovirus can survive on surfaces such as taps, door handles, phones and toys for days to weeks | Daily cleaning of frequently touched surfaces |
| Coughs and sneezes | Viruses that cause colds can also infect the eyes | Cover coughs; wash hands after blowing your nose |
| Swimming pools | Healthdirect lists pools as a route of spread | Avoid swimming until the eyes have recovered |
| Birth | Some infections pass from parent to newborn during birth | Same-day medical review for any red or sticky eye in a newborn |
| Sexual contact | Chlamydia and gonorrhoea can reach the eye on hands | Safer sex, testing, and handwashing |
Not contagious: allergic conjunctivitis, irritant conjunctivitis from smoke or chlorine, dry eye, and a burst blood vessel on the white of the eye.
Hand hygiene that works against eye infections
- Wash with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds after touching your eyes, wiping discharge, using drops or blowing your nose.
- Dry your hands on your own towel or a paper towel.
- Prefer soap and water to hand sanitiser when someone has viral conjunctivitis. Adenovirus is relatively resistant to alcohol, so sanitiser is a backup rather than a replacement.
- If you need to touch your eye, use a clean tissue and throw it away straight away.
A household prevention plan
- Separate personal items. Give the affected person their own towel, face washer and pillowcase. Change the pillowcase daily while there is discharge.
- Wash linen hot. Wash towels, pillowcases and face washers in hot water and dry them thoroughly.
- Clean shared surfaces daily. Wipe taps, door handles, light switches, phones, tablets, remote controls and toys with a household disinfectant, following the label.
- Handle eye care cleanly. Use a fresh cotton pad for each wipe and each eye, bin used pads and tissues straight away, and wash your hands afterwards. Do not let dropper tips touch the eye.
- Replace eye products. Throw away mascara, eyeliner and eye-drop bottles used just before or during the infection.
- Limit close contact. Avoid face-to-face contact and sharing a bed where possible until the discharge has stopped.
- Pause swimming and shared goggles until the eyes have recovered.
- Follow exclusion advice. Keep children home from childcare or school until the discharge has stopped, unless a doctor advises otherwise. See pink eye in children and adults for childcare and school details.
These steps lower the risk of spread but cannot guarantee that no one else will catch it.
Workplaces and shared spaces
There is no national rule that keeps adults with conjunctivitis away from work. Consider staying home while discharge is heavy, especially if your work involves close contact. If you work in healthcare, childcare or aged care, check your workplace policy, because these settings can see outbreaks.
- Do not share phones, headsets, keyboards or safety glasses, or clean them before use.
- Avoid touching your eyes at your desk; keep tissues and soap nearby.
- Do not use antibiotics just to return sooner. Antibiotics do not treat viral conjunctivitis and are not a prevention measure.
Preventing allergic and irritant red eyes
Allergy
- Check local pollen forecasts during spring and keep windows closed on high-pollen days.
- Wear wraparound sunglasses outdoors, and wash your face and change clothes after time outside.
- If you have hay fever every year, ask a pharmacist about starting allergy eye drops or other treatment before the season peaks.
- Avoid rubbing itchy eyes, which makes the reaction worse. DocTel offers GP consultations for allergies if symptoms keep coming back.
Irritants and chemicals
- Wear swimming goggles in chlorinated pools and avoid smoky environments where you can.
- Use eye protection that meets the Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 1337 for grinding, drilling, whipper snipping and other jobs that throw particles.
- Take extra care with alkaline products such as cement, lime, drain cleaner and oven cleaner, which cause the most damaging chemical eye injuries. Store detergent capsules out of children’s reach.
- Stop using a new cosmetic or eye product if your eyes become red after using it.
Contact lenses
Lens wearers have extra prevention rules, such as keeping lenses away from water and never sleeping in them unless prescribed. See our contact lens red eye guide.
Ordinary irritation or something serious?
Use this as a guide, not a diagnosis. If you are unsure, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222, 24 hours a day.
| Level | Typical signs | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Usually fine to manage at home | Mild redness, grittiness, watery or sticky discharge, itchy eyes in hay fever season. No pain, normal vision, no contact lenses | Home care and hygiene. See a pharmacist, GP or optometrist if not improving after one to two days |
| Same-day in-person check | Eye pain, light sensitivity, blurred vision that does not clear with blinking, a white spot on the eye, a swollen eyelid, heavy pus, a red eye in a contact lens wearer, or any red or sticky eye in a newborn | Optometrist, GP clinic or emergency department today. Not a routine online booking |
| Emergency now | Chemical splash, serious injury, sudden loss of vision, severe pain with headache or vomiting | Rinse chemicals with running water; call 000 or go to an emergency department |
Pink eye or something else?
Several conditions make the eye red without being conjunctivitis. Some of them need urgent care.
Subconjunctival haemorrhage (burst blood vessel)
A painless, bright red patch on the white of the eye with no discharge. It often follows coughing, straining or rubbing, and fades over one to two weeks. See a GP if it follows an injury, keeps recurring, or you take blood-thinning medicines.
Stye or chalazion
A tender or firm lump on the eyelid edge, rather than redness across the eye. Warm compresses help. See a GP if the whole eyelid becomes red and swollen.
Blepharitis and dry eye
Gritty, burning, crusty eyelid margins in both eyes, often long-term and worse with screens or wind. Not contagious. Eyelid hygiene and lubricating drops help.
Episcleritis and scleritis
Episcleritis causes a patch of redness with mild discomfort and usually settles. Scleritis causes deep, boring pain that may wake you at night and needs urgent same-day assessment.
Iritis (anterior uveitis)
Inflammation inside the eye causing pain, light sensitivity and redness around the coloured part of the eye, often without discharge. Needs same-day eye assessment.
Keratitis (corneal infection or inflammation)
Pain, light sensitivity, blurred vision and sometimes a white spot on the cornea. Particularly important in contact lens wearers. Needs same-day eye assessment.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma
A sudden, very painful red eye with blurred vision, haloes around lights, headache, nausea or vomiting. This is an emergency.
Foreign body or scratch
A sudden gritty or sharp feeling, often in one eye after wind, grinding or gardening. Rinse with clean water. Seek same-day care if the feeling persists, vision is blurred, or something may have hit the eye at speed.
Shingles near the eye
A painful, blistering rash on the forehead, scalp or tip of the nose with a red eye. Needs same-day assessment, because antiviral treatment works best when started early.
Recognising early symptoms and tracking them
Early conjunctivitis usually shows as redness of the white of the eye, watery or sticky discharge, crusting after sleep, itch or a gritty feeling. Noting a few details helps a clinician judge the cause and the risk:
- when symptoms started, and whether one or both eyes are affected
- whether the main feeling is itch, grittiness or pain
- the type of discharge: watery, stringy, or thick yellow or green
- any recent cold, contact with someone with red eyes, chemical exposure or injury
- whether you wear contact lenses, and whether you slept or swam in them
- daily photos of the eye in the same light, to show whether it is improving
A quick vision check at home
Cover one eye at a time and read small print or a clock across the room, comparing each eye with how it normally is. Blurring that does not clear when you blink is a reason for a same-day examination.
What to do in the first 48 hours
- Check for warning signs. If any are present, seek in-person care instead of waiting.
- Take out contact lenses and switch to glasses.
- Start the household plan: handwashing, separate towels and linen, no shared eye products.
- Comfort care. Clean discharge with cooled boiled water and use a cool compress. Do not use another person’s drops or leftover antibiotics.
- Review after a day or two. If the eye is not starting to improve, or is getting worse, see a pharmacist, GP or optometrist.
If your eye is mildly irritated without pain, vision changes or other warning signs, a GP can help decide whether an online consultation suits you. Learn about DocTel pink eye assessment.
Quick prevention questions
Is every case of pink eye contagious?
No. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can spread. Allergic and irritant conjunctivitis cannot.
How long should I stay away from others?
Infectious conjunctivitis is contagious while the eye is discharging, often for up to two weeks with viral infections. Children should stay home from childcare and school until the discharge has stopped, unless a doctor advises otherwise.
Can pink eye spread through the air?
Mostly it spreads through hands and shared items. Coughs and sneezes can spread the cold viruses that also infect the eyes, so covering coughs helps.
Does hand sanitiser kill the virus that causes pink eye?
Adenovirus, a common cause, is relatively resistant to alcohol. Washing with soap and water is more reliable.
Will antibiotic drops stop pink eye from spreading?
Antibiotics do not treat viruses and should not be used as a preventive measure. Hygiene is what limits spread.
Should I throw away my make-up?
Yes, throw away eye make-up and applicators used just before or during the infection, as they can reinfect the eye.
When should I seek help if the redness does not go away?
See a pharmacist, GP or optometrist if the eye is not improving after one to two days or is getting worse. Do not wait if pain, light sensitivity or reduced vision develops.
Sources and further reading
This article is general information and does not replace an individual eye examination or medical advice.
Need guidance about eye symptoms?
For mild redness or irritation without warning signs, a DocTel GP can assess your symptoms by video and advise on next steps.
Pain, vision changes, injuries, chemical exposure and contact lens-related redness need in-person assessment. In an emergency, call 000.