All of us must have experienced Red or Bloodshot eyes at some point of tine during our lives. This occurs due to dilatation of blood vessels in the white part (cornea) of the eye ball. The causative factors behind the eyes appearing Red might be many like infectious conjunctivitis, tired/ fatigued eyes, certain allergies ( environmental or to eye drops), dry eyes ( part of sjogren syndrome), trauma to eyes or physical irritation due to presence of some foreign body in the eyes, prolonged wear of contact lenses etc, to mention the most common ones. Along with Redness, there might or might not be other accompanying symptoms like: burning sensation, watery discharge from eyes, dryness and soreness in cornea, swelling and puffiness of eyelids, itchiness, gritty- foreign body sensation or pain in the eyes.
Given Below are a set of instructions that could be followed to treat Red eyes. However, I would like to put a disclaimer here that none of the information furnished in this article are meant to replace or supplement expert medical opinion or medications in any way, what so ever. Read on to know more..
Prevention and Treatment of Red Eyes:
- Do not rub eyes. This does more harm than good. This mechanically irritates your eyes further and also your fingers carry a lot of germs so, you might inturn transfer them to your already stressed eyes.
- Do not sit for long hours in front of your laptop or desktop screen. Take a break at a span of every 20 minutes and relax your eyes by simply blinking your eyes several times to lubricate your cornea restore the hydratation levels in your cornea. Also, relax your eyes by staring at a far away object, nearly 20 feet away for 20 seconds. You may also rub your palms together and cup them over your eyes for a few seconds to relax your eyes.
- Use anti glare screens for your computer screens or you might wear eye wear designed for this purpose.
- Practice good hygiene in general like washing your hands often so that you accidentally do not transfer an infection to your eyes. Conjunctivitis most commonly spreads this way. Always keep a sanitizer handy.
- Also, you must maintain at most hygiene while handling your contact lenses. Wash them thoroughly with the lens solution before and after usage. Replace your lenses timely if you are using the disposable ones and if you use some other variety then get them sterlized at regular intervals. As otherwise, they are an easy habitat for germs. Wash your lens case after every 2 to 3 days with a disinfecting soap, too.
- Make a habit to use eye drops prescribed by your ophthalmologist after you remove your lenses.
- Do not sleep without removing your contact lenses.
- Using a cool gel pack for eyes helps reduce redness and puffiness. You may also use a towel dipped in cool water or cool cucumber dlices/ tea bags to ease out the inflammation.
- Sleep for at least eight hours at a stretch to relax your eyes.
- See your doctor who might prescribe you some antibiotics like amoxicillin or ciprofloxacin. in case of infection and lubricating eye drops in case of dry eyes. In case of allergies you would most probably be given drops containing phenylephrine. Do not over or under use these and follow the instructions well.
- Take care of your diet. Eat fresh foods and vegetables. You might also be informed about vitamin A and B complex supplements by your doctor. Have lots of water.
- Cut down on smoking and alcohol.