Can Dry Eye Syndrome look and feel like pink eye/conjunctivitis?

This started out as the REAL pink eye about 4 months ago. I thought I kept getting it, until i went to the eye doctor and he told me i had dry eye. It makes sense since no one else in my house or at work has caught pink eye. My doctor did say that dry eye can look and feel like conjunctivitis....but i'm just lookin for some other opinions :-) Thanks!

"red eye" can be
a)viral- which is self limiting often gone in 2 weeks
b) bacterial - you will have alot of discharge and mucus, maybe painful
c) environmental as the other person described
d) allergy - you will feel a distinct itch
e) dry eye - which can be associated with tearing and or burning

using artificial tears works well but you have to use them often, up to 4-5 X a day. Systane (OTC at any drug store) only has to be use 2X or more per day for an appropriate dose.
note: if you do have dry eye with a dry mouth as well as vaginal dryness then get checked for sjogrens syndrome. dry eye can also be associated with arthritis and other auto immune diseases.

last things to consider if you do have dry eyes:
- increase your omega 3 (ie fish oil, flax seed oil) to increase tear production
-warm compresses and lid scrubs can allow the natural oils in your eyelids to coat your tears better
-if all else fails there is Restasis which is a prescription drug. it can take upto 6mo to take affect.

of course consult your MD or optometrist for the appropriate course for you.

hope this was helpful.

Well, I had hives on my eyeball from allergies (yes, hives, totally horrible!) the eyedrops thst I was prescribed were really hardcore and I am sure that they are the cause of my dry eye. My eyes get red and irritated often like pink eye. I actually need glasses now as a result. So, if you used serious eyedrops for the pink eye, they may have caused dry eye. My doctor said that the condition may go away if I use Refresh eye drops for a while. Good luck!
Chances are your doctor knows what they are talking about - the symptoms are extremely similar to conjunctivitis.

Did your doctor prescribe artificial tears? For most people that will do wonders.

Did your doctor ask if you work or live in an area where you are around air-conditioning a lot, people who smoke, bad air quality from pollution, excessive heat? All of these conditions lead to dry air, and therefore dry eyes.

Do you sit at a computer all day - most people don't realize it, but they rarely blink when staring at a monitor all day, which causes your eyes to dry out (just found that out myself when I started a new job!)

Are you taking antihistamines for allergies? They will dry up your sinuses and nasal passages, but also your eyes.

I've included some links below for web sites that discuss dry-eye syndrome in depth. Good Luck!
http://www.dryeye.org/patients-who.htm...

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/81/...

http://www.preventblindness.org/eye_prob...
Absolutely. My husband had it severely. He looked like a pink-eye victim or a total drunken bum! He was constantly using eye lubricants and he was actually in pain from it. Finally, he went and had his eye ducts plugged. No more dry eye. Good luck!