Sore eyes (conjunctivitis): symptoms, home care and when to see a doctor

Sore eyes is what most Filipinos call conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. The conjunctiva is the thin, clear layer over the white of the eye and the inside of the eyelids. When it is swollen or irritated, the eye turns pink or red.

It is one of the most common eye problems in children and adults. Most cases get better on their own, and most people recover fully. PhilHealth lists sore eyes among the common illnesses of the summer and dry season.

• pink or red eyes, often both
• a gritty feeling, as if there is sand in the eye
• burning or itching
• watery eyes
• white, yellow or green discharge (muta)
• crusts on the lashes, so the eyes may be stuck shut when you wake up
• swollen eyelids

Some people also have mild blurring that clears when they wipe the discharge away, or a small lump in front of the ear. Sore eyes from a virus often comes with a cold or sore throat.

Eye pain, blurred sight that does not clear when you blink or wipe the eye, pain in bright light, or a red eye after an injury can be signs of a more serious eye problem. Read When a red eye is not just sore eyes.

The types often look alike, so it can be hard to tell them apart at home.

• Viral (from a virus). The most common type, most often from a virus called adenovirus. Eyes are red, watery and gritty. It spreads very easily.
• Bacterial (from bacteria). Often gives a thick, sticky yellow or green discharge and crusted lashes in the morning. It also spreads easily.
• Allergic. From dust, dust mites, mold, pollen or animal fur. Eyes are very itchy, red and watery, and the eyelids are often puffy in the morning. This type does not spread to others.
• Irritants. Smoke, dust, chlorine in pools, makeup, or contact lenses and lens solution. Usually mild, and it goes away once the cause is gone.

Less often, conjunctivitis comes from a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia or gonorrhea. This type takes longer to heal and needs a doctor.

Yes, sore eyes from a virus or bacteria spreads very easily, often through a whole household or classroom. Sore eyes from an allergy or an irritant is not contagious.

The germs are in tears and eye discharge. They spread when these get on hands, towels, pillows, makeup or eye drops and then reach another person's eyes. Red, gritty eyes, or eyes with sticky discharge, are usually contagious. Until your eyes are better, wash your hands often and keep close contact with others to a minimum.

School and work. UK health advice says you do not need to stay home unless you feel very unwell. Your school or workplace may have its own rules, especially during an outbreak, so ask.

Most sore eyes get better without medicine. Viral sore eyes usually clears in 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes 3 weeks or more. Bacterial sore eyes usually improves in 2 to 5 days, though it can take 2 weeks to clear completely. Antibiotics do not help viral sore eyes.

To ease the discomfort:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water before and after touching your eyes.
2. Clean off crusts. Boil water and let it cool. Wet a clean cotton pad and gently wipe the lashes, using a new pad for each eye.
3. Use a cool compress. Hold a clean, cool, damp face towel on your closed eyes for a few minutes to ease swelling and itching. Use a fresh one each time.
4. Try artificial tears, lubricating eye drops from the botika, for dryness and grittiness.
5. Don't rub your eyes.
6. Leave contact lenses out until your eyes are better, and throw away the lenses, case and solution you used.
7. For allergic sore eyes, avoid what sets it off, such as dust or pet fur, and ask a pharmacist about allergy medicine.

Not better after a few days, or getting worse? See a doctor. Unsure? Try our free AI symptoms guide.

• Artificial tears (lubricating drops) are a gentle first choice. They ease dryness and grittiness whatever the cause.
• Allergy medicines. Antihistamine drops or tablets can ease itchy allergic eyes, though they can sometimes make the eyes dry; some drops need a prescription. Decongestant ("anti-redness") drops make the eye look whiter, but don't use them for more than 5 days in a row, or the redness can come back worse.
• Antibiotic drops or ointment treat bacterial sore eyes only and need a doctor's prescription. Bacterial sore eyes often clears without them, so ask your doctor whether you need them.
• Steroid eye drops (such as prednisolone or dexamethasone, including drops that mix a steroid with an antibiotic) are prescription medicines. Never use them on your own or because they worked for someone else. They may not be right when the eye has an infection, and using them for weeks can raise the pressure inside the eye, which can lead to glaucoma, and can cause cataracts (clouding of the lens). Before steroid drops are used for sore eyes, an eye doctor needs to measure the eye pressure and examine the eye with a special microscope. If you are not sure whether a drop contains a steroid, ask the pharmacist.

Safe habits with any eye drops:

• Never share eye drops or use someone else's prescription drops.
• Don't let the bottle tip touch your eye, lashes or fingers.
• Don't put drops in while wearing contact lenses.
• Buy from a licensed botika, not from sidewalk sellers or unknown online shops.

Family remedies come from good intentions, but the safest rule is to put only clean water, artificial tears or medicine from a doctor or pharmacist into an eye.

• Breast milk or urine (ihi). Some people were taught these heal sore eyes. None of the health guidance we checked lists them as a treatment. Clean the eyes with water that was boiled and cooled instead, and never let a home remedy delay a doctor's visit for a baby with sticky eyes.
• Leaves, herbal juices or other mixtures. Anything not made for the eye can sting, irritate it more or carry in new germs.
• "You catch it by looking at someone who has it." Health guidance describes the germs spreading through tears and discharge on hands and shared things, so handwashing protects you more than looking away.

Children often catch sore eyes at school and bring it home. Wash their hands often, keep their towel and pillow separate, and clean their eyes with cooled boiled water and a fresh cotton pad for each eye.

Newborns need a doctor the same day. Sore eyes in the first weeks of life can be serious. It can come from germs passed from the mother during birth, including germs from STIs. If your baby is under 1 month old and has red, sticky or puffy eyes, or any eye discharge, see a doctor today. A blocked tear duct can also cause a sticky eye in babies; the doctor can tell the difference.

A child under 2 with a red eye should also see a doctor, and should not be given any eye drops until a doctor has checked them.

Some eye problems look like sore eyes at first but can damage your sight. The signs are in the red box on this page; if you see any of them, go to the emergency room now, and don't drive yourself.

Chemical in the eye (such as bleach, cleaning products or lime, known as apog): rinse right away with a gentle stream of cool, clean running water for at least 15 minutes. Hold the eyelid open and tilt the head so the hurt eye is lower. If contact lenses did not wash out, try to take them out after rinsing. Then go to the emergency room.

Something stuck in the eye: don't rub the eye or try to pull the object out. Loosely cover both eyes and get help right away. Small specks like sand or an eyelash often wash out with blinking, tears or clean water.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after touching your eyes or helping someone with eye drops. Use alcohol hand sanitizer if there is no soap.
• Keep your hands away from your eyes.
• Don't share towels, face cloths, handkerchiefs, pillows, makeup, eyeglasses or eye drops.
• Change pillowcases often, and wash towels and face cloths in hot water with detergent while someone at home has sore eyes.
• Throw away eye makeup used while you had sore eyes.
• Care for contact lenses as your eye doctor tells you.
• If you are pregnant and have, or may have, an STI, ask your doctor how to protect your baby's eyes.

• Barangay health station, rural health unit (RHU) or city health center. Start here for sore eyes that are not getting better. A regular doctor can treat most cases, so you may not need an eye specialist. Find one near you.
• PhilHealth YAKAP clinic. As of mid-2025, check-ups at the YAKAP clinic you registered with are free at public clinics; private ones may charge up to ₱900 per patient for the whole year. Medicines the YAKAP doctor prescribes are covered at accredited pharmacies, up to ₱20,000 a year. In January 2026, PhilHealth said the essential medicines given at YAKAP clinics, which include the allergy medicine chlorphenamine, remain available. See our PhilHealth YAKAP guide.
• Eye specialist (ophthalmologist). For severe pain, changes in sight, an injury, sore eyes that won't go away, or sore eyes while wearing contact lenses. Search for eye care.
• Hospital. If you need to be admitted, PhilHealth's inpatient package for sore eyes (conjunctivitis) was ₱16,575 as of April 2026 at accredited hospitals. Emergency care at accredited hospitals is covered by the Outpatient Emergency Care Benefit (OECB). Read what PhilHealth covers.
• Not sure what to do? Ask a nurse or book a call.