You can get conjunctivitis (“pink eye”) in several different ways, depending on the cause.

What conjunctivitis actually is

Conjunctivitis means inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, clear tissue that lines the inside of your eyelids and covers the white of your eye.

When this tissue gets irritated or infected, the eye looks pink or red, may feel gritty, and often has discharge or watering.

Main ways you get conjunctivitis

1. Viral conjunctivitis (very common, very contagious)

  • Often caused by adenoviruses and other cold viruses.
  • You can “catch” it like a cold:
    • Getting eye fluid on your hands, then touching your own eyes.
* Close contact (handshakes, hugs) with someone who has it and then touching your face.

* Respiratory droplets from coughs or sneezes landing on your face or on surfaces you touch, then rubbing your eyes.
  • It often appears when you also have a sore throat, runny nose, or other cold/flu‑like symptoms.

Example: A family member has a cold and pink eye, uses the same towel as you. You then rub your eye after using that towel and develop pink eye a day or two later.

2. Bacterial conjunctivitis (contagious too)

  • Caused by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae.
  • You can get it from:
    • Touching your eyes with dirty or unwashed hands.
* Using contaminated eye makeup, face creams, or shared makeup tools.

* Sharing towels, pillowcases, or washcloths with someone who has pink eye.

* Wearing contact lenses that are not cleaned properly or belong to someone else.
  • Newborns can get serious forms from bacteria during birth, which need urgent medical care.

Example: You sleep in your contact lenses for days and don’t clean them properly; bacteria build up on the lenses and infect your conjunctiva.

3. Allergic conjunctivitis (not contagious)

  • Triggered by your immune system reacting to allergens, not by an infection.
  • Common triggers:
    • Pollen from trees, grasses, or weeds.
* Dust mites, animal dander, molds.

* Some eye drops, cosmetics, or skin-care products.
  • You “get” this type when your eyes are exposed to the allergen you’re sensitive to; it can flare seasonally (pollen seasons) or year‑round (dust, pets).
  • You don’t catch it from other people.

4. Irritant / chemical conjunctivitis

  • Caused by something directly irritating the eye surface.
  • Common sources:
    • Chlorine in swimming pools.
    • Smoke, smog, strong fumes, or chemical vapors.
* Soaps, shampoos, household cleaners that splash into the eye.

* A foreign body like dust or a loose eyelash.
  • You “get” it when these irritants touch the eye; it’s not an infection and isn’t contagious.

5. Contact lens–related conjunctivitis

  • Can be viral, bacterial, allergic, or irritant, but contact lenses often play a role.
  • You are more likely to get conjunctivitis if you:
    • Sleep in lenses not approved for overnight wear.
* Don’t clean or replace lenses and cases correctly.

* Use tap water, saliva, or old solution on your lenses.

* Wear someone else’s lenses.

How it spreads in everyday life

Most viral and bacterial conjunctivitis spreads through “hand–eye” routes and shared items.

Common real‑world scenarios:

  • Using a shared towel or pillow of someone with pink eye and then rubbing your eye.
  • Touching doorknobs, keyboards, or phones contaminated with eye secretions or respiratory droplets, then touching your face.
  • Being in crowded settings (schools, daycare, offices) where respiratory infections circulate, making outbreaks more likely.

Some eye doctors are seeing more questions from teens on social media asking “how do you get conjunctivitis,” because school and sports environments are perfect for fast spread through coughing, sneezing, and shared gear.

Quick HTML table: ways you get conjunctivitis

Because you requested tables as HTML, here is a compact overview:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Type</th>
      <th>How you get it</th>
      <th>Contagious?</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Viral conjunctivitis</td>
      <td>Contact with eye fluid, contaminated hands/surfaces, coughs/sneezes, often during a cold or respiratory infection [web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>Yes, highly</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Bacterial conjunctivitis</td>
      <td>Dirty hands to eyes, shared towels/makeup, poorly cleaned or shared contact lenses [web:1][web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Yes</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Allergic conjunctivitis</td>
      <td>Exposure to allergens like pollen, dust mites, pet dander, cosmetics, or medicines you’re sensitive to [web:1][web:4]</td>
      <td>No</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Irritant/chemical conjunctivitis</td>
      <td>Chlorine, smoke, fumes, cleaners, foreign bodies irritating the eye surface [web:1][web:9]</td>
      <td>No</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Contact lens–related</td>
      <td>Improper cleaning, overwear, using other people’s lenses; can be viral, bacterial, or irritant [web:3][web:5]</td>
      <td>Often yes if infectious</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Quick prevention notes

Even though your question is mainly “how do you get it,” knowing how to avoid it helps:

  • Wash hands often and avoid touching or rubbing your eyes.
  • Do not share eye makeup, contact lenses, towels, or pillowcases.
  • Clean and replace contact lenses and cases exactly as directed; stop wearing them if your eye is red and see an eye doctor.
  • Reduce exposure to known allergens (pollen, dust, pets) if your pink eye is allergy‑related.

When to see a doctor

You should get urgent medical help if:

  • You have eye pain, sensitivity to light, or vision changes.
  • The eye is very red with thick green/yellow discharge or you feel very unwell.
  • Symptoms don’t improve within a few days, or you wear contact lenses.
  • A newborn has any eye redness or discharge.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.