Conjunctivitis Treatment in Treherbert | NHS Pharmacy Advice

If you are looking for conjunctivitis treatment in Treherbert, Treherbert Pharmacy can help you identify the right NHS route and may be able to assess suspected bacterial conjunctivitis through the NHS Wales Common Ailments Service.

Bacterial conjunctivitis can cause a red, gritty or burning eye with sticky yellow-white discharge and crusting around the lashes. Patients aged 31 days and over may be eligible for a confidential pharmacist assessment, self-care advice and treatment where clinically appropriate.

Eligible NHS consultations and treatment supplied through the service are free. You can contact the pharmacy directly and do not need a GP referral first. Local Cwm Taf Morgannwg guidance advises people with eye symptoms to seek a free NHS eye examination from a Welsh General Ophthalmic Services optometrist in the first instance, so the pharmacist may direct you there, to a GP or to urgent eye care instead.

Choose an NHS appointment if you would like help with this condition. The pharmacist will assess whether treatment is suitable or whether you need another service.

What is bacterial conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the thin membrane covering the white of the eye and the inside of the eyelids. It may be caused by bacteria, a virus, an allergy or irritation, and the symptoms can overlap.

Bacterial conjunctivitis is more likely when there is sticky or pus-like discharge that returns after being wiped away and causes the eyelids to stick together, particularly after sleep. Many uncomplicated cases improve within about five to seven days without antibiotic treatment.

Symptoms people often notice

• Redness: the white of one or both eyes may look pink or red.
• Sticky discharge: yellow-white fluid may collect around the eye or return after cleaning.
• Crusted eyelashes: the eyelids may be stuck together on waking.
• Gritty or burning feeling: the eye may feel as though something is in it.
• Watering: the eye may produce more tears than usual.
• Mild eyelid swelling: the lids may look slightly puffy, but marked swelling, pain or visual disturbance needs a different assessment route.

Intense itching with watery eyes is more suggestive of allergic conjunctivitis. A watery red eye alongside a cold may be viral. A pharmacist or optometrist can help distinguish these from suspected bacterial infection.

Can Treherbert Pharmacy help with conjunctivitis treatment?

The NHS Wales Common Ailments Service includes bacterial conjunctivitis for patients aged 31 days and over. The pharmacist must first check that the symptoms fit the pathway and that no exclusion or warning sign requires optometrist, GP or urgent eye-care assessment.

Current Welsh eye-care guidance means that some patients will be referred to a WGOS-registered optometrist for a free NHS eye examination. The pharmacy can explain the correct next step after initial triage.

What happens during your consultation?

1. 1
   Private assessment. The consultation will normally take place in a private room at Treherbert Pharmacy.
2. 2
   Symptom and eye-safety check. The pharmacist will ask about redness, discharge, pain, light sensitivity, vision, contact lenses, injuries and recent eye treatment or procedures.
3. 3
   Clinical suitability review. Age, medical history, medicines, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding status, previous episodes and current eye products will be considered.
4. 4
   Advice, treatment or referral. You may receive eye-hygiene advice, symptom relief or antibiotic eye treatment where clinically appropriate. Routine antibiotics are not needed for every uncomplicated case.
5. 5
   Safety-netting. The pharmacist will explain what improvement to expect, how to reduce spread and when to contact the pharmacy, an optometrist, GP, NHS 111 Wales or urgent eye care.

What information may the pharmacist ask about?

• When the symptoms started, whether one or both eyes are affected and whether they are improving or worsening.
• The colour and amount of discharge and whether the eyelids stick together after sleep.
• Any eye pain, light sensitivity, headache, nausea, flashing lights, halos or change in vision.
• Whether contact lenses are worn, including when they were last used.
• Any recent eye injury, foreign body, chemical splash, laser treatment, operation or other eye procedure.
• Current medicines, allergies, medical conditions and any eye drops or ointments already being used.
• Whether the patient is pregnant, breastfeeding, immunocompromised or systemically unwell.
• Previous episodes of conjunctivitis and any treatment already tried.

How to care for a sticky eye and reduce spread

• Gently clean crusting from the eyelids using cooled boiled water and a fresh cotton pad for each eye.
• Use a cool, clean compress over the closed eye for comfort.
• Wash hands regularly and avoid rubbing or touching the eyes.
• Do not share towels, pillows, make-up or eye products, and wash pillowcases and face cloths regularly.
• Do not wear contact lenses until the symptoms have fully resolved and an optometrist has advised that it is safe to restart.
• Children and adults do not usually need to stay away from nursery, school or work if otherwise well, although local policies may differ.

When our pharmacist independent prescriber may be able to help

If your symptoms are not covered by the NHS Common Ailments Service, but you do not have any urgent warning signs, our pharmacist independent prescriber may sometimes be able to provide a broader clinical assessment. Treatment can be prescribed where clinically appropriate, or we will explain which healthcare service you should use instead.

This route is not a substitute for urgent eye assessment. Contact lens wearers, babies aged 30 days or younger, people with eye pain, light sensitivity, visual change, injury, severe swelling, recent eye procedures or rapidly worsening symptoms will normally need an optometrist, GP or urgent eye service.

Assessment does not guarantee a prescription. Eye symptoms can be difficult to diagnose remotely or without specialist examination, so referral may still be the safest outcome.

Find out about our independent prescribing service

When you should seek urgent medical help

Do not wait for a routine pharmacy appointment when urgent eye symptoms are present.

• Seek urgent same-day eye assessment if there is significant eye pain, sensitivity to light, a change in vision, very marked redness, a cloudy-looking eye, an unusual pupil, flashing lights, halos or wavy lines.
• Contact lens wearers need prompt optometrist assessment because a painful or red eye can indicate a more serious corneal infection. Remove the lenses and do not reinsert them.
• Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly increasing swelling around the eye, pain when moving the eye, fever, severe headache, nausea or vomiting, or blistering near the eye.
• Get immediate advice after an eye injury, chemical splash, suspected foreign body, ultraviolet exposure or recent eye operation, laser treatment or procedure.
• A baby aged 30 days or younger with a red or sticky eye needs urgent assessment by an appropriate clinician rather than a routine Common Ailments appointment.
• Call 999 or go to A&E if there is sudden loss of vision, a serious eye injury, severe systemic illness, signs of meningitis or another immediate threat to health.

Where available, contact a WGOS-registered optometrist for urgent eye assessment. If urgent help is needed and an optometrist is unavailable, use NHS 111 Wales, an urgent eye service or A&E as appropriate.

Free NHS advice and treatment

The NHS Wales Common Ailments Service provides a free pharmacist consultation for eligible patients. Any treatment supplied through the service is also free of charge.

• No GP referral is needed: you can book or approach Treherbert Pharmacy directly.
• Assessment comes first: treatment is supplied only when bacterial conjunctivitis is considered likely, it is clinically appropriate and the pathway is suitable.
• Antibiotics are not automatic: uncomplicated conjunctivitis often settles without them, and advice or a delayed treatment approach may be safer.
• An optometrist may be the correct route: WGOS can provide a free NHS eye examination where specialist eye assessment is needed.
• Another service may be recommended: this could be independent prescribing, GP care, NHS 111 Wales, urgent eye care or A&E depending on the findings.

Book a conjunctivitis assessment at Treherbert Pharmacy

Book the NHS appointment route for suspected bacterial conjunctivitis if there are no urgent warning signs. You do not need to obtain a GP referral before contacting the pharmacy.

Book an NHS pharmacy appointment

Choose an NHS appointment if you would like help with this condition. The pharmacist will assess whether treatment is suitable or whether you need another service.

Useful links

• Read about the NHS Common Ailments Service at Treherbert Pharmacy
• View all NHS pharmacy services in Treherbert
• Browse conditions covered by NHS pharmacy services
• Read NHS 111 Wales information about conjunctivitis
• Find a Welsh General Ophthalmic Services optometrist
• Read Welsh Medicines Advice Service information about the Common Ailments Service

Clinically reviewed by Jon James, Pharmacist Independent Prescriber. Last reviewed: June 2026.