Pink eye may not be serious but is contagious

Mark Twain said, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” But, you can imagine what a nuisance it was for Olympics commentator Bob Costas to try to focus on camera with bright pink eyes that colleague Matt Lauer described as making him look like a loser in a prize fight.

Bob Costas said, “You have swelling and stinging and burning and eventually tearing.” He said it started in one eye and progressed to the other. Other symptoms include itching and a crust of discharge that forms during the night making it hard to open your eyes in the morning.

The Centers for Disease Control says that pink eye, also called conjunctivitis, is one of the most common and treatable eye conditions in children and adults. “It is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, clear tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid and the white part of the eyeball. This inflammation makes blood vessels more visible and gives the eye a pink or reddish color.”

For the rest of the column, see the print edition of the Bonner County Daily Bee or subscribe to our e-edition.