Resolved question:
Hi, I'm 57 and I think I have pink eye; the white of my eye is red and it feels itchy. This morning there was goopy stuff stuck on my eyelid. My husband has some prescription medication "Fucithalmic" which he got for his pink eye in Oct 2012; we have kept it in the fridge. The leaflet says it should be discarded after it's been opened for a month. Why is that? I'm tempted to use it. I can't get in to see my Doctor and I'm 1 hour away from a walk-in clinic. I don't think I should leave this untreated over the weekend.
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Hello, the pink eye that you are describing is a condition known as Conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is generally transparent but in inflammation it appears pink or reddish. It can result due to infection bacterial or viral, allergies, chemicals, fumes, and dry eye. Viral conjunctivitis is caused by adenovirus. It usually presents with redness of the eye, itching, watering of the eyes, swelling associated with thick discharge. Staphyloccus, Hemophilus influenza type B, and gonorrhea cause bacterial conjunctivitis. Here it presents with swelling, redness of the eye, pseudoptosis, this usually and lasts for 7-10 days. However the other causes of red eye are presence of foreign body, glaucoma, and injury to the eye. I would suggest you to consult your ophthalmologist for a complete evaluation of the eye .In regard to your question on the instructions on the leaflet, usually the medications come with an expiry date and can be used up to 6 months to a year depending on that particular medication. In your case, this medication is mainly used for bacterial conjunctivitis and should be discarded within a month as the preservatives in the drops can only protect up to 4 weeks after opening it. So don't use the old one and it would be best to consult the doctor. Thank you.