Epidemic hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, also known as acute epidemic conjunctivitis or pink eye, is the most common infectious eye disease in the United States. All races and sexes may be afected equally. Symptoms include an acute onset, possible itching and minimal pain. The patient may or may not be aware of the exposure history.

When infectious, the condition usually presents bilaterally. Although the disease can be cultured for identification of staphylococcus epidermidis, streptococcus pyogenes or streptococcus pneumoniae, the presentation of pink eye is usually sufficient for diagnosis. If it is suspected that the conjunctivitis is caused by a sexually transmited disease, the exudate will be cultured for identifcation.

Western medical treatment mostly consists of providing comfort measures, such as cold compresses, artifcial tears and antibiotics. It is extremely important to avoid contamination by careful and frequent hand washing. The prognosis is good, although conjunctivitis frequently reoccurs.

In Chinese medicine, this disease pertains to tiān xíng chì yăn (天行赤眼, heavencurrent red eye), an ophthalmologic condition caused by external epidemic pestilent qi. It is characterized by sudden redness and blood spillage into the sclera. It can afect both eyes and spread rapidly to cause an epidemic eye disease. There is a dry, burning, painful sensation in the affected eye with copious tearing, thin discharge and photophobia. An initial eye examination will reveal redness and swelling of the lid and the sclera with numerous millet-like sores in the palpebrae conjunctiva. Later, blood spillage may spread to the entire sclera with a star nebula in the pupil. There may be palpable nodules anterior to the ear or below the jaw. This disease occurs rapidly with a short incubation period and is highly contagious. It usually afects both eyes within 24 hr and is ofen epidemic, but with a good prognosis.

This disease is frequently caused by sudden epidemic, pestilent qi attacking upwards, with heat damaging the collaterals, or accumulation of heat in the lung and stomach that combines with epidemic toxins. This condition is the result of a combination of internal and external evils atacking upwards.