Eye drops for pink eye... What does the burn mean?

Does the burn mean you need them more or less? As in, is the infection clearing if they burn more or what? When I had raging pink eye a few days ago (and the worst light sensitivity that I have ever experienced) the medicated eye drops didn’t seem to burn at all… or maybe I just didn’t feel them because my eyes were hurting so much on their own? Anyone have any knowledge on what’s going on with all of this?