Pinkeye season is coming back and I’m seeing more of it in my practice.

It’s a very predictable type of encounter. Here’s a summarized and somewhat dramatized version:

Patient: “Hey, doc, I woke up 5 minutes ago and my eye was crusted shut. It’s red and itchy. I just wanted to get on top of it and get some antibiotics.”

Me: “Ok… yeah, that sounds kinda miserable. Let me ask some questions first…”

[Medical interview here]

Me: “Ok, you most likely have viral conjunctivitis. The bad news is, there is no cure – drops won’t help. The good news is that your immune system should knock it out in a few days.”

Patient: “Ok, cool. So you don’t think I need any antibiotics?”

Me: “No, they won’t do you any good.”

Patient: “But what if it gets really bad?”

Me: “That is extremely unlikely.”

Patient: “But what if it does? I’ve always been given drops before for this?”

Me: “Yeah, I know, doctors historically have often given drops without any regard for whether it’s viral or bacterial. However, as with all-things-antibiotic these days, we’ve learned that that is a bad idea. Due to the side effects and long-term issues with excessive antibiotic use, we need to be more thoughtful with them.”

Patient: “I’m just really concerned because I have [insert obligation here] coming up and I don’t want this to get out of control.”

Me: “It won’t.”

Patient: “But what if I’m contagious? I don’t want to spread it.”

Me: “You are contagious. Try not to rub your eyes and wash your hands a lot.”

Patient, appearing more and more uneasy:

…

…

“But… can’t I just get some drops??”

Me: (deep sigh)

I really want to understand the psychology here. It appears to be a universal thing. People get almost panicky when you tell them that drops are more likely to cause harm than good for their pinkeye.

I know, it’s probably our own fault. We doctors created the monster by giving out the drops without discretion for so long.

Sorry about that.

Now we’re inducing panic attacks in our patients as we try to correct the mistake.

No good.

Well, anyway, I posted this article before, but I find it pretty helpful: Most People with Pinkeye Get Unnecessary Treatment.

Oh, look, another pinkeye just showed up! 🙂 Maybe I’ll just give him the drops. Ugh.