Red eyes often feel uncomfortable. Your eyes may be painful and you may experience a deep ache in the eye, or you may have surface irritation. If your eyes have surface dryness, this may result in blurry vision, which should improve as the dryness resolves. Understanding your symptoms may help you find a solution for your uncomfortable eyes and prevent the condition from recurring.
Causes
A number of conditions may cause your eyes to appear red and feel painful and dry. An eye infection, such as conjunctivitis, which many people refer to as "pink eye," commonly causes these symptoms. Allergies may affect your eyes and cause redness, dry eye and irritation, as well as itching and swelling of your eyelids. Dry eye syndrome, which occurs when the eye does not produce enough tears for lubrication, may also result in these symptoms.
If you have a bright red area on the white of your eye, this may indicate a broken blood vessel, also called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. The bright red spot may concern you, but this does not typically indicate a serious condition, explains Dr. Burt Dubow of the All About Vision website. This will usually disappear without treatment.
Serious conditions may also cause redness, pain and dry eye, and these conditions may include an infection of the cornea, the clear outer covering over the front of the eye, as well as an infection inside the eye.
Diagnosis
An eye doctor should examine your eyes if your symptoms persist or if they worsen. The eye doctor will ask you how long you've had the symptoms and if you've previously had the problem. She will use a special microscope designed for the eyes, looking for signs of infection or other conditions that may cause the redness and irritation. If she suspects dry eye syndrome, the doctor may numb the surface of the eye and place small strips of paper between the lower eyelid and the eye. After a few minutes, she will read the strips of paper to determine the amount of tears your eyes produce, notes the University of Illinois at Chicago website.
Treatment
Treatment options will vary, depending on the cause of your symptoms. If you have dry eye syndrome, you may need to use over-the-counter artificial tears. An eye infection may require medicated eye drops to treat the condition. Make sure you use the drops as directed, and do not stop using antibiotics or other medications before your doctor's recommended stop date. Even if your symptoms improve, stopping treatment early may cause your condition to flare-up again.
Home Remedies
Warm or cool compresses held against your eyelids may help relieve some of the discomfort, offers MedlinePlus. Simply run a clean washcloth under warm or cool water, wring out the excess and place it over your closed eyes. Repeat as often as you like throughout the day if this gives you relief.
Consideration
At the first sign of red eye, many people reach for the "get the red out" eye drops. Used occasionally, these eye drops may relieve eye redness. However, if you use them frequently, these types of drops may actually increase the red appearance of your eyes. They also have a number of side effects, such as eye discomfort, tearing, vision changes, change in heart rate or shortness of breath, notes Drugs.com. Discuss these drops with your eye doctor before use.
