Guidance/Pink eye

A few months ago, I sought advice here about my male Persian cat's recurring pink eye, with Dr. Liz Buchanan suggesting it could be linked to plant allergies or internal issues. I noticed this problem started to emerge after adopting my female cat (younger). Despite being friends for over 7 months, with a cautious 4-5 month introduction period, they play freely. However, during play, my female cat, who is faster, often stops him with her paws, directly touching his eyes. This coincides with his pink eye occurrences every other month. I've trimmed their nails to prevent severe damage and separate them into different rooms when I go out. How can I prevent these incidents? The dynamics between them are still being figured out, and I want to ensure the well-being of both cats. My local doctor has prescribed a medicated drop, I wish to avoid the whole situation as much as possible. I would appreciate any guidance or advice in this matter. Thank you.

Hello again.  I've been giving this some thought and must admit that I am not entirely convinced by the explanation of what is causing this recurrent eye problem.  The margin of error between putting a paw in the eye closely enough to cause an infection and yet without damaging the surface, would be fractional.  Anything can happen once or even twice, but it seems odd that a cat is consistently, accidentally, managing this with such accuracy, trimmed claws or not.  I trust that your vet is checking for corneal damage every time (usually done with orange drops that turn green).  Healthy eyes are well protected against microbes by a tear film and the eyelids; it seems unlikely that a 100% infection rate from touching the eye would happen in any case.  Therefore, it seems likely that there is something behind these incidents that has been overlooked.  How many times has your cat been to the vets for this?  It sounds as though another repeat visit is needed and that it is probably important to ask your vet more questions about what they feel could be behind it and what more can be done.  Thank you for sharing more about this intruiging case and please would you let us know what is found?