What are Red Eyes Problem: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention & Treatment?

Oct 01, 2022

Incidences of red eyes are generally harmless and improve with over-the-counter treatments or home remedies. Unfortunately, if your red eyes are accompanied by pain, light sensitivity, swelling, or blurry vision, you find it beneficial to see your eye doctor as soon as possible.

What is Red Eye Problem?

Red eyes are a generic term to describe red, bloodshot, or irritated eyes. The redness occurs when the small blood vessels under the surface of the eyes become more prominent or inflamed. Generally, it is a reaction to irritations in the eye, and the condition can affect one or both eyes. Red eyes can develop over time or appear unexpectedly, similar to allergies or eye injuries.

Red eyes are often accompanied by pain, itching, swelling, and eye discharge. Changes in vision or blurry vision might also occur. Occasionally red eyes look worse than they appear. Red eyes are not a cause for concern because the condition heals with home remedies or over-the-counter treatments. However, when the condition persists for over a week or affects vision, an appointment with the optometrist becomes necessary for diagnosing the disease and receiving treatment.

Causes of Red Eyes

Red eyes have many causes, including wearing contact lenses for too long or staring at a computer screen without a break.
Other reasons include allergies, blepharitis, conjunctivitis, dry eye, eye injury, or glaucoma.
Besides, the above red eyes also result from excessive alcohol consumption, which reduces oxygen to red blood cells causing them to clump concurrently and making the eyes appear bloodshot.
Smoking can also increase the risk of eye conditions affecting vision.
Tobacco smoke is a reason for dry, red, or itchy eyes because the smoke is a toxic irritant.
Red eyes also result from whitening eyedrops claiming to whiten eyes but contain chemicals that shrink the blood vessels on the eye’s surface to reduce redness.
However, in reality, these eyedrops are merely a temporary fix and do not offer a permanent fix.

Prevention for Red Eyes

Anyone affected by red eyes is advised by our optometrist in 80104 not to rub their eyes because dirt and germs on the hands and fingers result in additional redness and irritation.
Our optometrist in Castle Rock suggests wearing contact lenses for the recommended period and keeping them clean.
Patients are advised to take breaks frequently when looking at computer screens for extended periods and schedule eye exams to ensure the reason for red eyes is not a severe condition.
Removing eye makeup correctly and keeping the eyes clean is also suggested by eye doctors.

Treatment for Red Eyes

There are wide-ranging remedies for red eyes, depending on the condition’s causes. In most cases, rest, cold compresses on closed eyes, and light massaging of the eyelids or over-the-counter eyedrops help relieve the symptoms. However, occasionally, you might need help for red eye treatment from a specialist prescribing or recommending antibiotics, unique eye drops, or ointments.

Therapies for specific eye problems include the following:

Red Eyes from Allergies:

Eye doctors recommend avoiding allergens if known besides suggesting over-the-counter eyedrops or using artificial tear drops to clear allergens from the eyes and moisturize them to provide relief from dry and irritated eyes. Red eyes from allergies also find help from decongestant eyedrops that help reduce the redness.

Blepharitis:

Remedies for this condition generally include keeping the eyelids clean by wetting a washcloth with warm water and holding it over the closed eyelid for several seconds to help relieve symptoms. Dipping a cotton swab into a mixture of baby shampoo and water to lightly wash the eyelids helps relieve the symptoms. Unfortunately, when blepharitis occurs doesn’t go away entirely, making it essential to clean the eyelids frequently. Eye doctors might prescribe antibiotics or steroid eyedrops in some cases.

Bacterial Pink Eyes:

Treatment for bacterial pink eyes involves placing a warm and damp washcloth over the infected eyelids for a few minutes to loosen dried mucus if the eyelashes and eyelids are stuck. Patients are advised to use a separate washcloth to ensure the infection doesn’t spread. Besides recommending over-the-counter lubricating drops, eye doctors suggest using a different washcloth for each eye if both eyes are affected.

Although red eyes generally disappear by themselves, the severity of the redness might indicate a serious condition or disease of the eyes. Therefore contacting an ophthalmologist for treatment is essential before the situation aggravates. The remedies for this condition are comfortable and provide relief from discomfort without undue concerns.

Visit Your Nearby Eye Doctor

We at Founders Eyecare provide effective and safe remedies for red eyes after evaluating a patient’s conditions and prescribing appropriate therapies. Patients affected by red eyes can visit our facility to receive red eye treatment in Castle Rock for their condition without delaying their appointment.