How long does it take to get pink eye after being exposed to it?

A couple: A couple of days to a couple of weeks [it depends what's causing the pink eye]. Not all pink eye is caused by germs. Non-infectious pink eye can be caused by allergies or something irritating your eyes.

As fast as a cold: "pink eye" generally describes an eye infection caused by the common cold virus. It is the same disease, just infecting a different part of the body. Similarly to the common cold, it is contagious, and typically starts within hours to a few days after contact with an infected person. Once the virus takes hold on the eye, it can last between 7-14 days, or longer.