Does one only get pink eye once?

　　Conjunctivitis (commonly known as “pink eye”) is a highly contagious eye condition. In daily life, individuals should promptly recognize its symptoms upon falling ill, enabling better self-assessment of whether they are infected and facilitating appropriate subsequent responses. So, can one get conjunctivitis only once?

　　Can conjunctivitis occur only once?

　　No, conjunctivitis is not a one-time illness. Its medical term is acute bacterial conjunctivitis. If the eyes become reinfected with pathogenic bacteria, conjunctivitis may recur. It is not a disease conferring lifelong immunity; therefore, an individual may contract it multiple times throughout life. Alongside anti-inflammatory treatment, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be used to suppress the inflammatory response—for example, pranoprofen ophthalmic solution. Monitor closely for symptoms such as photophobia, excessive tearing, or difficulty opening the eyes.

　　If these symptoms indicate that conjunctivitis has progressed to involve the cornea—resulting in keratitis—corneal nutritional factor eye drops should be added to the treatment regimen. Conjunctivitis is an acute infectious disease characterized by sudden onset of ocular hyperemia (redness), swelling, and copious purulent discharge, caused either by bacterial or viral infection. In the early stage, the eyes should be irrigated with normal saline or boric acid solution, and topical antibiotic eye drops should be actively administered.

　　Recovery typically occurs within approximately two weeks. Since the bloodstream does not produce permanent antibodies against the microorganisms causing conjunctivitis, the disease can recur after recovery. Moreover, conjunctivitis is a contact-transmitted infection. We hope this information proves helpful to you.