Pink Eye in Kids: Viral, Bacterial or Allergy, and When They Can Go Back to School

Last updated: September 2026

Pink eye in kids is usually viral, clears on its own in about a week, and most children can go back to school or daycare as soon as they feel well and can keep their hands off their eyes. Bacterial pink eye produces thick yellow or green pus and sometimes gets antibiotic drops. Allergic pink eye itches, hits both eyes, and is not contagious.

Key takeaways

• Viral pink eye is the most common type in children. Antibiotic drops do nothing for it, and most cases resolve in 5 to 7 days.
• Thick pus points toward bacteria, watery discharge with a cold toward a virus, and itching in both eyes toward allergies.
• The AAP and CDC do not require a child without fever to stay home for pink eye, but many Georgia daycares set their own rules.
• Eye pain, light sensitivity, vision changes, swelling of the skin around the eye, or any eye discharge in a baby under 1 month need a same-day visit.

What are the three types of pink eye in kids and how do I tell them apart?

Viruses, bacteria, and allergens cause nearly all cases in children, and the discharge is your best clue. Viral pink eye is watery, often starts in one eye and spreads to the other within days, and usually arrives with a cold. Bacterial pink eye produces thick pus that can seal the eyelids overnight and may occur with an ear infection. Allergic pink eye affects both eyes at once, itches intensely, and comes with sneezing. [Source: CDC, Symptoms of Pink Eye]

Eyes that flare every spring? See our guide to seasonal allergies in Georgia kids.

Does my child need antibiotic drops for pink eye?

Usually not. Viral pink eye is the most common type in school-age children, and antibiotics do nothing to viruses. The AAP is direct: the vast majority of viral and bacterial cases resolve on their own within 5 to 7 days without treatment. [Source: AAP HealthyChildren.org, Do I need to keep my son home if he has pinkeye?]

Drops do help in some cases. The CDC notes a doctor may prescribe them when there is a lot of pus or the child’s immune system is weakened; they shorten the illness by a day or two and cut the contagious window. [Source: CDC, Treatment of Pink Eye]

If a school demands a prescription before your child returns, call us; a secure video visit is often enough to sort out the type. Never use leftover drops from a sibling: the AAP warns that opened or borrowed eye medication can be contaminated and cause serious damage. [Source: AAP HealthyChildren.org, Eye Infections in Infants and Children]

How contagious is pink eye and for how long?

Viral and bacterial pink eye spread easily, mostly by hands. For bacterial pink eye, the contagious period ends once antibiotic treatment starts or symptoms are gone. For viral pink eye, your child is contagious as long as symptoms last, and adenovirus can spread for weeks. Allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious. [Source: AAP HealthyChildren.org, Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis)]

The AAP compares pink eye to the common cold: it passes around, it resolves, and exclusion does little to stop it.

When can my child go back to school or daycare with pink eye?

Sooner than most parents expect. AAP child care guidance says yellow, green, white, or watery eye discharge without fever, even with red whites of the eyes, does not require exclusion. [Source: AAP HealthyChildren.org, When to Keep Your Child Home From Child Care]

The CDC agrees: a person with pink eye but no fever or other symptoms may return with a doctor’s approval. Exceptions are fever, being too sick to participate, or activities with close contact. [Source: CDC, About Pink Eye]

Our rule: keep your child home if they have a fever, feel unwell, or cannot stop rubbing their eyes. Otherwise, send them.

The catch for North Georgia families: many daycares and some schools in Cobb, Fulton, and Forsyth counties write their own rules, often “no return until 24 hours on antibiotic drops.” That policy is not based on AAP or CDC guidance and does nothing for viral cases, but the center can still enforce it. Check your handbook, and if it conflicts with your pediatrician’s advice, ask us for a note. Our pediatrician or urgent care guide explains why a note from your child’s own doctor carries more weight.

How do I treat pink eye at home?

• Clean the discharge with a fresh warm, wet cotton ball for each wipe, inner corner outward. Never reuse a wipe on the other eye.
• Compresses. Warm to loosen morning crusting, cool to calm allergic itching.
• Artificial tears ease grittiness. Skip “redness relief” drops.
• No contact lenses. Teens switch to glasses and throw out lenses and cases used during the infection.
• Separate towels and pillowcases, changed daily and washed hot.
• Stay out of the pool.

The CDC also says not to share eye drop bottles between eyes, and to wash hands for at least 20 seconds before and after touching the eyes. [Source: CDC, Preventing Pink Eye] If wiping irritates the eyelid skin, see our post on common skin conditions in kids.

When is pink eye an emergency?

Simple pink eye does not hurt much or change vision. The CDC lists eye pain, light sensitivity, blurred vision, and intense redness as signs that need medical care. [Source: CDC, Treatment of Pink Eye] Come in the same day for any of the following, or go to the ER if we are closed.

• Eye pain, not just grittiness, which suggests a corneal scratch or deeper infection.
• Light sensitivity or vision change that does not clear with a blink.
• Redness getting worse after 2 to 3 days, or no improvement after 24 hours on antibiotic drops.
• Swelling and redness of the eyelid and skin around the eye, especially with fever or an eye that bulges or will not move normally. This can be periorbital or orbital cellulitis. Go to the ER.
• Small blisters on or near the eyelid. Herpes simplex can infect the cornea and needs antiviral medicine.
• Any eye discharge in a baby under 1 month old.

If fever comes with the eye symptoms, our guide to child fever and when to worry gives the age and temperature cutoffs.

Is pink eye dangerous in newborns?

It can be. Bacteria picked up during birth, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, can cause an infection that damages vision and can spread to the lungs or the lining of the brain. Gonococcal infection appears at 2 to 5 days of life, chlamydial at 5 to 12 days. Newborns with pink eye symptoms should be seen right away. [Source: CDC, Pink Eye in Newborns]

Blocked tear ducts are a far more common and harmless cause, but you cannot reliably tell the difference at home, so a baby under 1 month with any eye discharge, redness, or puffy lids gets seen the same day. See also our post on the newborn’s first pediatrician visit.

Why does my toddler have pink eye and an ear infection at the same time?

This pairing has a name: conjunctivitis-otitis syndrome. Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae infects the eye and middle ear at once, most often between 6 months and 3 years. The clue is thick eye pus in a toddler who is also tugging an ear, fussy at night, or feverish. [Source: CDC, Symptoms of Pink Eye]

Eye drops will not clear the ear, so an oral antibiotic is usually right, and we need to look in the ears. If infections keep returning, see our guide on frequent ear infections in children.

How do I keep the rest of the family from catching it?

Hands are the whole story. Wash before and after every eye wipe or drop, and get the sick child washing after every rub. Wipe doorknobs, faucets, remotes, and shared toys daily. No shared eye makeup or glasses, and no siblings sleeping face to face for the week. Our post on building a strong immune system covers habits that help a household through cold season.

How Sun Pediatrics can help

A red, weepy eye is one of the most common reasons families call us. We hold same-day sick visits every day at all four offices in Marietta, East Cobb, Alpharetta, and Cumming. A secure video visit is often enough to identify the type, decide on drops, and send a school note. If a cold or fever comes with it, we can run in-office rapid tests for strep, flu, RSV, and COVID at the same visit, and we check toddlers’ ears.

Every physician is board certified, and our team cares for children from birth through 18. Hours are Monday to Thursday 8:00 to 4:45, Friday 8:00 to 4:15, plus a Saturday clinic 9:00 to 12:00 on the 1st and 3rd Saturday. Request an appointment online or call 678-501-5601. Same-day sick visits are held every day at all four offices.

Frequently asked questions

How long is pink eye contagious after starting drops?

For bacterial pink eye, the AAP considers the contagious period over once treatment has started; schools that require drops usually ask for 24 hours. For viral pink eye, drops change nothing and your child stays contagious while the eye is red and watery.

Is it pink eye or a blocked tear duct in my baby?

A blocked duct causes watering and crusting, but the white of the eye stays white. Redness, swollen lids, or thick pus points toward infection. Under 1 month, do not decide at home; call us the same day.

Can pink eye cause a fever?

Rarely on its own. Fever usually means a cold virus is causing both, or that a toddler also has an ear infection. A fever above 101°F is a reason to keep your child home and have the ears checked.

Should I go to urgent care or my pediatrician for pink eye?

Your pediatrician, unless it is after hours and your child has a red flag above. We can tell the types apart, treat any ear infection, and give you a school note.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Contact your pediatrician for care specific to your child.