Red Eyes, Common Causes And Their Treatment

Red eyes are a common symptom that responds to both infections and eye strain. Conjunctivitis, allergy and fatigue are the usual origins. Find out more in this article.

Do you have red eyes? Our eyes are one of the most important and especially fundamental organs of our body. Through the detection of light we can enjoy a primordial sense such as vision. For this reason it is important that we know well about them.

It is quite common for the eyes to turn red on certain occasions, giving rise to a condition that many people suffer from. For this reason, today we will be able to know its main causes and the most effective ways to treat them.

Causes of red eyes

Conjunctivitis

The conjunctivitis is one of the most common ocular infections. Especially among school-age children.

There are different types of conjunctivitis. And therefore different ways to treat this eye condition. So make sure to always visit your ophthalmologist for the correct diagnosis.

Dry eyes

Dry eye syndrome occurs when the tear glands do not act in a balanced way. Either they produce an insufficient quantity or a poor quality of tears to lubricate and nourish the eyes well.

Chronic dry eye can cause the surface of the eye to become inflamed and irritated. And this causes your eyes to turn red.

Treatment for dry eye includes “artificial tear” lubricants, eye drops, and tear plugs. Ask your eye care professional about the best treatment options.

Allergy

The redness of the eyes is often due to an allergic reaction. When the immune system reacts to certain foreign substances, our body releases histamine.

These substances can be pollen, pet dander, dust, or certain chemicals found in makeup or contact lens solutions. As a result, the released histamine causes the blood vessels in the eyes to enlarge, making our eyes red and watery.

The solution is to avoid allergens to which we are sensitive or take the medication recommended by our doctor. For example, antihistamine eye drops.

Contact lenses

One of the main culprits of red eyes is not taking good care of our contact lenses.  This can cause a build-up of irritating surface deposits and microbes in the eye. Contact lenses can also make dry eye syndrome worse.

We can minimize the risk of contact lens-induced red eyes by keeping the lenses clean and disinfected. Our doctor may also recommend that we try daily disposable lenses or a different type of contact lens material.

Computer eye strain

Red eyes, burning, and tiredness go hand-in-hand when staring at a computer screen for long periods of time. This can cause computer vision syndrome.

One of the reasons is that you blink less when working on a computer. And this can lead to drying out the surface of the eye.