Is the eye always pink with conjunctivitis?

[Traveller]

Boytwin had really bad conjunctivitis recently, lots of goo from his eye and he looked like he had been punched it was so red and swollen, but the white or his eye was still white.

Girltwin, on the other hand, has a bloodshot eye which I am assured is nothing to do with conjunctivitis, and she must have gotten some dust or something in her eye which has irritated it. I guess it depends on what sort of conjunctivitis they get, and how badly the inside of the eye is irritated by it.

[Beach Mama]

With J it is nearly impossible to get the drops in, with Iz we tell her she has to do "butterfly" eyes and she blinks fast and is really good at it - he screams blue murder if we go near him with the bottle so I soak some of a cotton ball in the drops,(bottle doesn't last too long ) and then sweep it over his eyes in the hope some of it will go in seeing as he scrunches his eyes up so tight.

[Paul Brand]

As someone else said, there are broadly 3 types of conjunctivitis - bacterial, viral and allergic. The common green/yellow matted discharge is bacterial. Chlorsig drops usually work for this. Viral conjunctivitis often accompanies colds (both can be due to adenovirus) and had a more clear, watery discharge. Allergic conjunctivitis is secondary to allergens and give a mucous, ropey, clear discharge. An all types the white of the eye (the conjunctiva) will become red.

Most conjunctivitis in children is viral, and as with colds there is no treatment. Artificial tear drops such as Refresh can help with the discomfort. If there is a green/yellow discharge, then it's probably bacterial conjunctivitis. You can let it run it's course, use breast milk, or Chlorsig drops. It can be difficult to diagnose for a lay person, so I would recommend seeing an optometrist can determine exactly what is going on. GP's vary in their eye knowledge, some are great though, but an optometrist deals with these conditions all the time.

A tip for getting drops in young eyes. Lie them down with their face up, let them close their eyes and place a drop in the inner corner of each eyelid. Then ask them to open their eyes (or you can gently open the lids yourself) while still looking up and the drops will get into the eyes.