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Is saltwater good for conjunctivitis?

I am a 19 year old female with conjunctivitis. Is saltwater good for conjunctivitis?

6 Answers

It depends on what has caused the conjunctivitis
Not useful. If you have classic conjunctivitis, which is viral, then just keep the eye(s) clean with fresh water and know that there are no anti-virals to treat the condition. Antibiotics, commonly prescribed for this, are of no use.
No. Salt water rinses for your nose and gargle for your throat can help when you have a cold with nasal congestion. Conjunctivitis often occurs with these infections. It is mostly viral, so there is no antibiotic treatment that is effective. For viral conjunctivitis (pink-eye) you can use an over-the-counter vasoconstrictor - antihistamine combination such as Naphcon-A to relieve itching and redness temporarily. No more than twice a day for 3 days. Artificial tears are balanced salt drops that are sterile that you can also get OTC. Use those up to 4x a day for comfort. Also, cool compresses may help with eyelid swelling. If you have abundant mucus discharge and crusting around the eyelids, it may be a bacterial infection so you should see an eye doctor. If redness lasts more than 3-4 days or you have significant blurry vision or pain, see an eye doctor asap.

Mark F. Pyfer, MD, MS, FACS
Hello,

The short answer is yes! If no other treatment options are immediately available, a low concentration salt water solution for rinsing the eyes once or twice a day can be started, however, this works best for bacterial conjunctivitis; for common pink eye, the rinsing will burn excessively, and for allergic conjunctivitis, it is of no use.
Sterile saltwater may soothe the eyes
Only if it's sterile saline to remove mucus and pus, i.e., eyewash.