pink eye

I started to get a very irritated eye last night and gave it a bit of a rub and had a shower and washed it out, the suddenly it started to swell and looked like it was filling with some kind of fluid under my bottom eye lid. I woke up this morning and it is all red and blood shot and swollen around my eye still and a bit crusy. the fluid like stuff has gone but its still red, irritated and swollen. is this conjunctivitis? I suffer from hay fever and was wondering if it is just a bad hayfever reaction? What can I do to treat this?
help! itchy eyes!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Your description sounds more like an allergic reaction. I would suggest cold compresses, perhaps some oral benadryl and allergy over the counter eye drops like Zaditor or ophthcon

JCH MD