Choosing Prescription Sunglasses

Posted on: 26 September 2018

Do you have chronic redness in your eyes? It can be a frustrating issue. Eye redness may impact your appearance, but it can also be irritating, especially if the redness is accompanied by itching or pain. The most common causes of eye redness are allergies and lack of sleep. If those aren't issues for you, though, your eye redness could be caused by other problems.

Below are three common causes of eye redness, along with other symptoms. Do any of these sound familiar? If so, it may be time to visit an eye care professional. They can treat your redness and prevent the issue from developing into a far more serious problem.

1. Dry eye. You may be suffering from a common condition called dry eye. With dry eye, your eyes either don't produce enough tears or produce tears with incorrect consistency, which causes them to dry up and evaporate too quickly. Sufferers of dry eye also usually experience a burning sensation in the eye, heavy eyelids, and the inability to cry. Fortunately, dry eye can usually be treated with daily eye drops.

2. Pink eye. Pink eye is another common cause of eye redness. It's very common in children. It's caused by a wide range of issues, such as bacteria, viruses, and even pool chlorine. Your eye lining becomes inflamed, causing redness and a range of other symptoms. If you have pink eye, you'll likely also experience a discharge from your eye and perhaps even a crust lining along your eye lids. The good news is that pink eye can usually be treated with medication in a few quick days.

3. Broken blood vessel. It's possible that you may have broken a blood vessel in your eye. This can sometimes happen if you lift an excessive amount of weight or even rub your eye too intensely. Some people break their blood vessels during sneezing or vomiting. When you break a blood vessel, blood becomes trapped and forms in a white area of your eye. You'll likely have one spot that is bright red and then general redness in the rest of the eye. There's little that can be done to treat a broken blood vessel, but the condition usually disappears quickly on its own.

4. Glaucoma. Finally, it's possible the redness is a sign of a much more serious condition, like glaucoma. Glaucoma is caused by the buildup of fluid within the eye. The fluid places pressure on the eye and causes redness. Most cases of glaucoma have no pain, but some can cause pain and headaches. In either case, you'll likely see your vision affected. It's important to see an eye care professional for treatment, as glaucoma can eventually lead to blindness.

Still unsure of what's causing your redness? See a medical office like Southern  Colorado Eye Care Associates. They can diagnose the issue and recommend a treatment plan.