Also, your child should not touch the infected eye and then touch the other eye without washing his hands. You should be sure to wash your own hands very thoroughly after touching your child's eyes, and items like towels, gauze, or cotton balls should be thrown away or laundered in hot water to avoid contamination. Because of the contagious nature of the infection, it may be nearly impossible to prevent the spread of conjunctivitis among children and adults in the same household. The incubation time for bacterial conjunctivitis is a few days. In viral cases, incubation can be up to a week.
Bacterial conjunctivitis lasts about a week.
Viral conjunctivitis and the resulting inflammation can last as long as 2 weeks. A child can become infected by touching someone with the disease who has touched the infected eye. Bacterial cases are contagious as soon as symptoms appear. The child will remain contagious for as long as there is a discharge from the eye and until medical treatment begins. Viral conjunctivitis is usually contagious prior to the onset of symptoms and for as long as symptoms last.