Red eyes are a common but rather annoying problem. If you feel itchy, dry, and your eyes are inflamed, then you can try to resolve the situation with some quick fixes and by changing certain behaviors that can trigger this ailment. If the hyperemia is chronic or if you show other symptoms that indicate a serious illness, then you need to see your eye doctor for relief.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Treating Red Eyes
Step 1. Rest your eyes
Rest is the best medicine for most of the causes that lead to eye redness (a corneal scratch, lack of sleep, fatigue due to a long time spent in front of the computer, excessive sun exposure or a long journey by car). Try to get some more sleep and reduce the amount of time you spend on your computer, TV, reading books, or watching your cell phone. Try listening to a radio show or an audio book. If you can't take a day off to rest your eyes properly, at least try to give them a few short breaks.
- If you are reading or working on a computer, you should stop every 15 minutes and observe a distant object for at least 30 seconds. This change in focal distance helps relax the eye muscles.
- Take a 15-minute break every two hours by looking away from the monitor for your eyes to rest. Go out for a walk, get some physical activity, have a snack or make phone calls; engage in something that doesn't require staring at a monitor or cellphone.
Step 2. Use moisturizing eye drops or artificial tears
When you suffer from occasional ocular hyperaemia, you can find relief by instilling a few drops of moisturizing eye drops, also called artificial tears. You can buy them in any pharmacy and optical shops for a few euros. These products are able to lubricate and wash the eyes, reducing redness and irritation. There are four types:
- With preservatives: Preservative ingredients such as benzalkonium chloride, polyhexamethylene biguanide, polyquad, purite and sodium perborate prevent bacterial growth, but can irritate the eyes. If your eyes are sensitive or you plan to use eye drops for a long time, you should avoid these kinds of products.
- Without preservatives: the Systane, the GenTeal and in general the eye drops in single-dose pipettes are all without preservatives.
- For contact lenses: if you use this type of optical correction, choose a specific humectant, which can also be instilled while wearing the ACL.
- Whitening or anti-redness: avoid using whitening eye drops (vasoconstrictors) because, over time, they aggravate the situation.
Step 3. Consider using eye gel for severe dryness
Eye ointments and gels are denser and have a longer lasting effect than eye drops. However, their pasty texture slightly blurs the view for a while. For this reason, you should apply them before bed to prevent your eyes from drying out overnight.
- Remember to put on a warm compress or wipe your eyelids with a mild cleanser before applying gels and ointments. This way you avoid blocking the glandular ducts.
- If you have been diagnosed with meibomian gland disease, do not use eye gels or ointments.
Step 4. Take allergy medication
Seasonal allergies, allergies to pets or to certain elements of the environment can trigger symptoms such as itching and watery eyes, especially in the morning. The reason for this phenomenon is twofold: first of all, sleeping in a house full of allergens, you expose yourself to these irritants for a long time and, secondly, seasonal allergies are particularly annoying in the morning when the amount of pollen in the air is greater. To control allergies:
- Take an oral antihistamine such as cetirizine (Zirtec), desloratadine (Clarinex), fexofenadine (Allegra), levocetirizine and loratadine (Clarityn).
- Instill medical eye drops that contain an antihistamine or anti-inflammatory, including azelastine, emedastine, ketotifen, and olopatadine.
- Keep windows closed during allergy season to reduce exposure to pollen.
- Do not allow pets to enter your room and do not allow them to get on the bed.
- Try using a home air purifier to reduce the presence of allergens.
Step 5. Do eye washings
This remedy removes irritants present on the ocular surface that can contribute to redness. In addition, the wash moisturizes and cools the eyes. You can proceed with simple lukewarm water letting the stream run over the eye, using the special glass or standing in the shower while the water slides over the face and into the eye (do not allow the spray to enter directly into the eye). If you want to get the best benefits, you can use a specific eye wash solution:
- Boil 240ml of distilled water.
- Add a tablespoon of eyebright, chamomile flowers, or chopped fennel seeds.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the lid and leave to infuse for half an hour.
- Filter the liquid into a sterilized container on the opening of which you have placed an American coffee filter.
- You can keep the solution in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
Step 6. Place a warm compress on your eyelids
The inflammation of the eyelids interferes with the proper flow of the oily part of the tears. You can use a warm compress to unclog the ducts of the glands that produce this substance. Hold a clean, dry cloth under running hot water until it is completely wet, then squeeze it to remove all excess liquid, fold it in half and place it over your closed eyes. Relax like this for 5-10 minutes.
Step 7. Give your eyes some relief with cold, wet tea bags
You can use green tea or chamomile tea, as both contain elements that can soothe irritated skin, reduce inflammation, and open glandular ducts. Dip two tea bags into the water and then place them in the refrigerator or freezer until they are cold. Finally, place them on your closed eyes for five minutes.
Method 2 of 3: Stopping the Causes of Ocular Hyperaemia
Step 1. Make sure there is no foreign body in the eye
Even the smallest speck of dust can cause irritation if it gets stuck in the eye. If you feel that your eye is being "scratched", do not scratch it, otherwise you could cause a corneal abrasion. The best way to proceed, however, is to wash the eye. You can instill artificial tear drops or saline and then blink quickly. If you want to do an even more effective wash:
- Keep your eyelids apart with clean hands and place your eye under a gentle stream of warm water.
- Enter the shower and let the spray of water hit your forehead. Open your eyes and run the water over your face. Alternatively, you can wash your eyes with a special glass or in an eye wash sink.
- If you have a foreign body in your eye, you will have some difficulty opening and closing your eyelids.
Step 2. Sleep for eight hours every night
Lack of sleep is a common cause of red eyes. If, in addition to having sore eyes, you feel sleepy and groggy all day, then your problem may be insufficient rest. Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, but some people need more or less rest to "function" at their best.
Step 3. Give your eyes a little break from the TV and computer monitor
You may complain of eye fatigue despite getting enough sleep because you spend too much time watching television or a computer. This happens because you are induced to blink less when staring at a screen and because your eyes get very tired when they have to keep objects in focus for a long time at the same distance. Try to take a 15 minute break every two hours and look away for 30 seconds every 15 minutes.
- When you take a long break, go out for a walk and focus on distant objects; alternatively, you can take a 15-minute nap to allow your eyes to recover from their busy day.
- When you look away for only a few seconds, look at a distant point for 30 seconds (such as a tree beyond the window or a photograph on the other side of the room).
Step 4. Put on your sunglasses
Studies have shown that excessive exposure to sunlight or wind can cause eye redness. If you wear protective eyewear when outdoors, you can prevent wind and UV rays from irritating your eyeballs. Choose a wrap-around model that filters 99-100% UVA and UVB rays.
The use of sunglasses is essential to ensure good eye health in the long run. Excessive sun exposure can cause problems, such as macular degeneration and cataracts, in old age
Step 5. Use contact lenses for less time and perform proper maintenance
These optical devices can in some cases cause the eyes to redden, a condition potentially linked to an infection, corneal hypoxia, or contact irritation.
- Before inserting the ACLs, put a few drops of saline or moistening eye drops into your eyes and blink several times. This procedure cleans the ocular surface, preventing irritants from getting trapped under the lens.
- Dirty, broken or deformed contact lenses can irritate the eyeballs and trigger infections. Follow the instructions of your eye doctor and optician to keep them clean at all times. If you use disposable ACLs, never wear them more than once.
- Don't sleep with contact lenses in your eyes.
- Do not wear them when swimming or showering.
Step 6. Quit smoking and avoid smoky environments
This is one of the first causes of ocular hyperaemia. If you smoke, do your best to get rid of this habit and get away from the people who smoke around you. This not only improves the health of your eyes, but also those of your body in general.
Step 7. Do not use eye drops to whiten your eyes (vasoconstrictors)
Although eye drops that moisturize the eyes are perfect for treating ocular hyperaemia, vasoconstrictive ones "whiten" the eye but worsen the problem over time. In fact, they contain vasoconstrictive active ingredients that reduce the caliber of the blood vessels present on the ocular surface. If you overdo these drugs, the body develops some resistance and the eyes turn even redder once the effect of the medicine wears off. The most common vasoconstrictor eye drops are Imidazyl, Stilla decongestant, Alfa eye drops and many others. The active ingredients that should be avoided are:
- Ephedrine hydrochloride;
- Naphazoline hydrochloride;
- Phenylephrine hydrochloride;
- Tetrizoline hydrochloride.
Method 3 of 3: Seek Medical Advice
Step 1. Go to the emergency room right away if you have severe symptoms
If eye redness is accompanied by other troubling symptoms, then the problem could be much more serious, such as a stroke or neurological disorder. Go to the emergency room or call 911 if:
- The eye is red due to an injury;
- You have a headache with blurry vision and confusion;
- You see halos around the lights;
- You feel nauseous and / or vomit.
Step 2. See your GP if the redness persists for more than two days
If the problem does not go away despite all the remedies put in place, if you are on anticoagulant therapy or if the hyperemia is accompanied by pain, vision disturbances or any type of discharge, then you must contact your doctor. Common pathologies that cause eye redness are:
- Conjunctivitis: An infection of the clear mucous membrane that lines the eye. It is treated with topical antibiotics and / or antihistamines.
- Chronic dry eye: in this case the eyes do not produce enough tears to properly lubricate the ocular surface. It is managed with punctum plugs (caps to close the tear ducts), eye drops and drugs.
- Diabetic ocular hyperemia: The high concentration of sugar in the blood caused by diabetes damages the thin blood vessels in the eyes, thus causing redness. If you are diabetic, remember to have regular visits to your ophthalmologist. If left untreated, this disease can cause vision loss.
- Vasculitis: This is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks blood vessels. It is treated with steroids and other medicines to reduce inflammation.
- Glaucoma: Increased intraocular pressure causes blindness. Glaucoma is treated with specific eye drops to lower eye pressure.
- Keratitis: is inflammation of the cornea which can in turn be caused by excessive use of contact lenses or a minor injury. It can also be associated with a bacterial infection.
Step 3. Go to the ophthalmologist if the redness persists
When this disorder does not respond to medical treatments, the cause could be eye fatigue triggered by incorrect optical prescription or the need for bifocal lenses.
- Too strong an optical correction could force the eye muscles to work constantly to compensate for it and focus the images; as a result, fatigue and redness are created. In this case, the refractive error must be checked again.
- If you feel like you have to lean too far towards the computer to see the screen clearly, then you may need reading-specific lenses or progressive lenses to see clearly at different distances.
