Your eye is red, irritated, and producing discharge, so your first instinct is to head to urgent care. That visit will likely end with a prescription for antibiotic eye drops, regardless of what’s actually causing your symptoms. The problem is that most red eye cases are not bacterial, and antibiotics do nothing for viral infections or allergic reactions. Without the right tools to examine your eye, urgent care providers often treat the symptom rather than the cause.

At Vision Source Mandan, we offer same-day appointments for eye emergencies so you can skip the guesswork and get a real diagnosis. Dr. Brittany Schauer, Dr. Wayne Aberle, and Dr. Danielle Dyke have the diagnostic equipment to look closely at what’s actually happening on the surface of your eye, and they’re committed to making sure you leave with the right treatment, not just a prescription that may not help.

Why Urgent Care Gets Eye Infections Wrong

Urgent care clinics don’t have the tools needed to properly examine an eye. Without a slit lamp microscope, a provider can’t distinguish between bacterial conjunctivitis, viral conjunctivitis, and an allergic reaction. All three can cause redness and discharge, but they require completely different treatments. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, most pink eye cases are caused by viruses or allergies, neither of which responds to antibiotics.

Prescribing antibiotics anyway doesn’t just fail to help; it can also cause unnecessary side effects, add to antibiotic resistance, and cost you money for a treatment that was never going to work. Getting to an eye doctor first is the more direct path to feeling better.

The Three Types of Red Eye and Why the Difference Matters

Not all red, itchy eyes point to the same problem. Understanding the type of conjunctivitis you have determines the correct treatment path. Here are the three most common types our team sees:

• Viral conjunctivitis: the most common type, often associated with a cold or upper respiratory illness; antibiotics will not help and symptoms typically resolve on their own

• Bacterial conjunctivitis: characterized by thick discharge and eyelids sticking together; this is the one type where antibiotics may be appropriate, but only after a proper exam confirms the diagnosis

• Allergic conjunctivitis: driven by allergens like dust, pollen, or pet dander; treatment involves antihistamine drops and allergy management, not antibiotics

Each of these requires a different approach, and the only way to know which one you have is a thorough eye exam with the proper equipment.

What Happens During an Eye Infection Exam

When you come in to see us for a suspected eye infection or injury, we examine the surface of your eye and eyelids under magnification using a slit lamp. This allows us to see details that simply aren’t visible to the naked eye. We can identify whether there’s corneal involvement, assess the type of discharge, check for foreign material, and look for signs of a more serious underlying condition.

If your symptoms are from an allergic reaction, we can evaluate whether eye allergy treatment is the right next step. If it’s pink eye, we’ll determine the cause and give you a treatment plan that actually fits. If something more serious is going on, we’ll identify it early and get you the appropriate care quickly.

Get the Right Diagnosis at Vision Source Mandan

Vision Source Mandan has served patients across Mandan, Bismarck, and surrounding North Dakota communities for over 70 years. Our practice is built around the kind of thorough, individualized care that larger clinics and urgent care facilities simply can’t replicate. Dr. Aberle has a particular focus on urgent eye care, and our entire team is equipped and ready to see patients the same day when something is wrong.If your eye is red, uncomfortable, or producing discharge, don’t spend time and money on a treatment that may miss the mark entirely. Contact our office to schedule a same-day appointment and get the accurate diagnosis your eyes deserve.