quicko: pink eye

When I tell people I've got pink eye, they look at me strangely here, and not just because they think I'm contagious (I'm not, unless you'd like to borrow the mascara I just threw out). "Is that a real disease?" they ask, thinking I've made it up because I like the color pink. I have to explain that yes, it is, it's conjunctivitis, at which point they actually all tend to perk up much more than I've ever seen an American perk up when told their friend has pink eye.