Could pink eye affect vision permanentely?

Hi i'm 16 years old and have a bad case of pink eye. I had pink eye for about 6 days. I went to the doctor a couple of days ago but the eye drops i was given on made most of the red go away in my eyes. My eyes are in most pain during the night and in the morning. Is there something i could do in the meantime while it SLOWELY goes away to prevent my eyes from getting crusted shut during the night? Also, Could pink eye affect vision permanentely? And how long does pink eye usually last?

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

Assuming you do not wear contact lenses and this is a case of viral pinkeye, sometimes it can last several weeks.  If it was bacterial pinkeye you should already be almost fully better.  Antibiotic eye drops only help bacterial conjunctivitis.  It doesn't seem as though you definitely have bacterial conjunctivitis (pinkeye) based on the long duration of symptoms.  If you have viral pinkeye, you should not be taking antibiotic eye drops.  Call your eye doctor again and update him on your slow recovery.  Pinkeye - even long lasting - does not permanently affect vision in most cases.