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Red Eye Disease

An eye normally consists of a pupil encased by the iris, which is then surrounded by a whitish jelly-like substance. Occasionally, someone will wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and in astonishment notice that patches of the whites of his eyes have turned red. This is a condition known as red eye disease.

  1. Types

    • Red eye can result from a range of different eye diseases. These may include but are not limited to: allergies, bacterial infection, subconjunctival hemmorhage (broken blood vessel in the eye), or dry eyes. Usually, if there is no pain or irritation, the patient has nothing to worry about. However, if the condition persists for a week or more, the patient should consider seeing a doctor.

    Symptoms

    • The distinguishing symptom of red eye is redness in one or both of the eyes. The patient may also experience itchiness, pain, swelling, watering and/or diminishing sight in one or both eyes. If any of these symptoms are present, the patient should see a doctor immediately.

    Treatments

    • Treatment of red eye varies depending on its cause. For a bacterial infection, prescription antibiotic medication or antibiotic eye drops are used. Normal over-the-counter eye drops work well for dry eyes, and allergy medication or prescription allergy eye drops for allergic reactions. Sometimes red eye will go away by itself, as in the case of a burst blood vessel. In other cases, such as glaucoma, no long-term treatment is available.

    Prevention

    • Patients looking to prevent red eye should get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep is a common cause of bloodshot eyes. Poor lighting, an abuse of alcohol, and staring too long at a computer screen can also lead to red eye. In general, a healthy lifestyle with minimal stress on the eyes will reduce the chances of contracting red eye disease.

    Warning

    • If the patient is unclear as to what is causing his red eye, he should not attempt to treat it himself. Incorrect treatment and usage of medication often leads to complications. The best method of action is to consult an eye doctor.

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