Pinkeye Over the Weekend

[Unregistered]

A daycare kid had pinkeye over the weekend. S
The eye is still really watering. Meds have been started should I allow this child come back to daycare???

[Blackcat31]

A daycare kid had pinkeye over the weekend. S
The eye is still really watering. Meds have been started should I allow this child come back to daycare???

Totally your call but most allow kids to return after 24 hours on the antibiotics.

Personally, I exclude until the eye is back to 100% normal. No gunk, no weeping, no redness.

Many school no longer even exclude for pink eye at all.

[Leigh]

I don't allow a child to return until all symptoms are gone. One round of antibiotics doesn't always cure it-I had pinkeye go through my home and daycare, and my husband had to be treated for EIGHT months before it cleared up. A couple of kids needed two rounds of treatment. I wouldn't allow a child with SYMPTOMS of pinkeye to return until those symptoms are gone.

[KiwiKids]

I exclude if eyes are still draining in any way. I have a very young group so they swap germs very easily. If the child was older and it had been at least 48hrs on drops I would consider allowing them back. That would depend on the child's ability to manage their symptoms. Are they old enough to not rub their eyes? Will they wash their hands if they do? If the parent's wording was "really watering" I would probably ask them to give it at least one more day though.

[Ariana]

My policy is 48 hours on antibiotics for bacterial pink eye. After 48 hours symptoms should be clear for the most part but in the case of pinkeye, any discharge is an exclusion. Pinkeye is highly contagious. In the case of viral infection they are excluded until all symptoms are clear.

Many docs will give an antibiotic for a viral infection which is useless so any discharge after 48 hrs of antibiotics usually means you have a viral infection. Viral infection comes from colds and flus so that would be a good indicator of what you are dealing with here.

[MunchkinWrangler]

It would depend on the situation for me. Any child with pinkeye I exclude until on antibiotic eye drops for at least 24 hours. I have had cases where it is caused after a cold, which means it's viral, and the eye is draining from the sinuses, the antibiotic drops are just to make sure the eye doesn't become infected.

I also go by age, if the child is able to manage their symptoms which most in my daycare cannot. Any 'icky' goopy green gooey stuff, I exclude until it's gone.

[LysesKids]

It would depend on the situation for me. Any child with pinkeye I exclude until on antibiotic eye drops for at least 24 hours. I have had cases where it is caused after a cold, which means it's viral, and the eye is draining from the sinuses, the antibiotic drops are just to make sure the eye doesn't become infected.

I also go by age, if the child is able to manage their symptoms which most in my daycare cannot. Any 'icky' goopy green gooey stuff, I exclude until it's gone.

I have an 11 month old that gets the drops in his eyes any time he gets a sinus infection for that exact reason, to keep the infection away (he has clogged ducts too)... this go around he was put on Liquid Z pack last Saturday for a double ear infection; the poor kid can't win because we just went thru the same in April.