What is an eye infection? An eye infection is a disease of the eye that you get because of a microorganism like a bacterium, a virus or a fungus. The most common eye infection is pink eye (conjunctivitis). Viruses cause most cases of pink eye, but bacteria can cause pink eye, too. You can’t treat viral infections with antibiotics.

Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections. Eye infections can happen in one eye or both eyes. Some infections aren’t serious. Others are medical emergencies that can cause vision loss. Eye infections can affect nearly any part of your eye.

Keratitis results from either an infection (bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic) or an eye injury. Keratitis means swelling of the cornea and isn’t always infectious.

If you notice any keratitis symptoms, see your doctor immediately to stop the infection. Some treatments for keratitis include.