Blurry vision is one of several pink eye symptoms, though it’s not common. This symptom could mean your infection has become severe or a sign of a more serious eye condition.

Pink eye is inflammation of the moist tissue layer that covers the white of your eyeball and the inner eyelid lining. It can have a range of symptoms that sometimes vary based on the specific cause.

One of the possible pink eye symptoms is blurry vision — which should not be a surprise.

Most of the eye’s focusing occurs on the surface of the clear cornea, so anything that disrupts the healthy surface of your eye can impair your vision. Blurriness can also happen because of certain treatments you use to treat the condition.

This article will review what blurred vision in pink eye means, when it might require medical attention, and what you should do about that blurry vision.

Your eyes can become watery with tears or mucus if you have pink eye. Discharge and swelling could blur your vision, and the eye drops or ointments used to treat pink eye can also have this effect.

But blurry vision can be a sign of other eye problems. That’s why you should seek medical care to rule out other eye issues if your vision becomes blurred.

Blurry vision isn’t a common symptom of pink eye, but it can happen. This symptom usually appears in more severe infections, or when you’ve had a case of pink eye that you can’t get rid of.

The more common symptoms of pink eye include:

Pink eye doesn’t necessarily require treatment. These infections will usually resolve on their own in time. But symptoms of burning, pain, or irritation might be helped by home remedies like:

Pink eye caused by a viral infection will usually run its course with home remedies in about 3 weeks. Bacterial infections can take about the same amount of time to clear up, but healing can be faster with the use of prescription antibiotic eye drops.

Don’t spread pink eye

If you have pink eye, even in just one eye, be careful not to spread it. A cool rag used to soothe pink eye can transfer the infection from one of your eyes to the other.

Also, make sure to wash your hands often and thoroughly to avoid spreading pink eye to others.

Conjunctivitis isn’t the only eye condition that can cause blurry vision. Other eye problems can also appear with blurred vision.

The conditions that can be mistaken for pink eye include:

Blurry vision is a possible pink eye symptom, but it doesn’t happen to everyone. This symptom could be a sign that your infection has become severe and needs additional treatment. It could also signal a more serious eye condition.

If your vision becomes blurry when you have a pink eye infection, you may want to consider consulting your eye care team in order to diagnose and treat whatever may be causing your eye health issues.