Eye Redness - Treatment Options Available for Curing Eye Redness Fast

What do a long day at the office, a night on the town, and an afternoon of gardening have in common? They can all have you seeing red-when you look in the mirror, that is.

“Eye redness can be caused by a lot of things,” says Carol Ziel, M.D., an ophthalmologist with the Eye Clinic of Wausau in Wisconsin. “A red eye may simply be dry or slightly irritated, or it may be a sign of chronic or acute glaucoma, inflammation of the eye, or a conjunctivitis,” she continues.

“In the case of acute glaucoma, which most often occurs in children but can also occur in adults, there tends to be red eyes in conjunction with dilated pupils, blurring of vision, and pain,” says Charles Boylan, M.D., a pediatric ophthalmologist at A Children’s Eye Clinic of Seattle.

“You can get red eyes from certain diseases such as chronic glaucoma, blood diseases, gout, thyroid diseases, and even a tumor,” warns Jon H. Bosland, M.D., a general ophthalmologist in private practice in Bellevue, Washington. “You can also get red eyes from iritis, an inflammatory disease which is usually inside the eye. It is often associated with discomfort and increased pressure within the eye as well. And it can be very serious if not treated with cortisone,” says Boylan.

For these reasons, the experts recommend that you have your eyes checked if the redness persists for more than a couple of days, if there is any pain or change of vision associated with the redness, if your eyes suddenly become sensitive to light, if you notice redness or blood over the pupil (the dark center of the eye), or if you have any discharge from one or both eyes.

For red eyes that are caused by everyday irritants-such as long hours in contact lenses, allergies, fatigue, air pollution, or dry air-there are some things you can do to help get the red out and relieve irritation.

Give your eyes a “lube” job. “Lubricating eye drops such as Visine can help to relieve some of the dryness and make the eye feel better,” says Bosland. “But don’t use them any longer than a few days at most,” he adds (see “Eye-Drop Alert”). Eye drops and artificial tears can be especially helpful to older individuals. “Older people don’t produce as many tears as they should, which can make the eyes red,” says Boylan.

Apply cool or warm compresses. “It doesn’t really matter which kind you use. Whatever feels best to you is fine,” says Ziel. “A washcloth soaked in cool water feels good, as does simply cupping cool water in your hand and holding it under the eye,” adds Bosland.

Use an over-the-counter antihistamine. If your red, itchy eyes are the result of an allergy, such as hay fever, then treating the allergy itself will tend to help your eyes as well, according to Bosland.

Get a good night’s rest. “This is often enough to clear up red eyes that are the result of too little sleep,” says Bosland. If 40 winks don’t perk up your peepers, however, then the redness is probably the result of some other cause and should be checked out by a doctor.

Wear goggles in the pool. If you plan to take a splash in the pool, protect your eyes from the irritating effects of chlorine with a pair of well ­fitting swimming goggles.

Use eye drops in the air. “The air in the cabin of an airplane is extremely dry and contains less oxygen, both of which can irritate and redden the eyes,” says Bosland. Over-the-counter lubricating drops add moisture to the eye, which helps to keep them from getting dried out.

Sport shades. Wear a pair of good-quality sunglasses whenever you go out during the day. This is especially important if you’ll be skiing, boating, or sun-bathing on a bright day.”Snow blind-ness and ultraviolet bums can result when the eyes are unprotected in the sunlight,” warns Bosland. “And both conditions can be extremely painful,” he adds. “I’ve also seen skiers get red eyes from going down the hill without protective eye wear and ending up with extremely dry eyes from the wind,” says Boylan. “Usually, it’s the not-so­good skiers like myself who keep their eyes wide open on the way down so as not to hit anything,” he says.

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Black Eye - Remedies for the Treatment of Black Eye

This morning’s racquetball game was going so well-until your opponent hit that unbelievable shot that bounced off the wall and hit you right in the eye. After he finished apologizing profusely and the pain subsided somewhat, you picked up your ego and went home. But now you’re beginning to resemble a prizefighter who lost the prize! Your eyelid is nearly swollen shut, the area around your eye is turning black and blue, and the throbbing pain is back in full force. You’re starting to wonder if there’s more to this injury than meets the eye.

As horrifying as a black eye can look-and as embarrassing as it can be to explain-it is usually nothing that will cause lasting or serious damage. “A black eye is simply a hemorrhage around the eye. The blood underneath the skin comes through as a purplish color. While there are many diseases and conditions that can cause black eyes [see “Other Causes of Black Eyes”], a true shiner is most often the result of trauma to the eye caused by a fistfight or a sports injury,” says Jon H. Bosland, M.D., a general ophthalmologist in private practice in Bellevue, Washington. “If the swelling comes down rapidly and your vision is good, it is not likely that there is any serious damage to the eye,” he says.

Still, Bosland urges anyone with a black eye to see a doctor in order to rule out damage to the eye itself. (It is especially important to see a doctor without delay if there is any change in vision.) Once you are sure everything is all right, there are some steps you can take at home to care for your shiner. There are also some preventive measures that you can take to help keep your eyes out of the black in the future.

Ice the area. “This will reduce the swelling and numb some of the initial pain,” says Carol Ziel, M.D., an ophthalmologIst with the Eye Clinic of Wausau in Wisconsin. Hold an ice pack or some ice cubes wrapped in a washcloth on the eye.”Putting crushed ice in a plastic bag and placing
the bag on top of a cold washcloth over the eye also works well,” says Charles Boylan, M.D., a pediatric ophthalmologist at A Children’s Eye Clinic of Seattle.

Pack it in popcorn or peas. A bag of frozen, unpopped popcorn kernels or frozen peas placed over a washcloth on the affected eye can also help cool the area and bring some relief.

Clean it up. Clean any small lacerations with mild soap and water. “Then continue to keep them clean and dry,” says Ziel. This will help to keep to area from becoming infected with bacteria. “Sometimes, the tissue around the eye can actually split because the soft tissue is being pushed against a hard surface of underlying bone. You can get a considerable hemorrhage from this, which can leave a bit of a lump afterward,” adds Bosland.

Avoid pressing on the eye itself. The area has already been traumatized enough, and pressing it will only cause further trauma, says Bosland. be gentle” when you apply an ice pack or clean the area.

Keep your chin up. OK, so you look and feel a little like Rocky Balboa. Be thankful you can see yourself in the mirror, and try to resign yourself to the added color for a while. “The discoloration tends to last one to two weeks,” says Bosland. It ill lessen during that time, but it won’t fade
completely for a couple of weeks or so.

Wear goggles. As is true with so many injuries, the best treatment is prevention. While you may not necessarily like the way you look in goggles, wearing them can help you ensure that you’ll be able to see the way you look.

Any sport that involves close contact with other lividuals and/or the use of a small ball of some sort is likely to put you at risk for a black eye. “The ajority of black eyes we see are caused by the eye being hit by an elbow, hand, or knee or by an object small enough to fit inside the bony structure round the eye,” says Boylan. Tennis doesn’t really qualify because the ball is too big. But squash, racquetball, and skiing (the end of the pole can hit the eye) are particularly dangerous to the eye. And basketball, where arms and legs are flying in close quarters, can also leave you vulnerable to a nasty black eye.

To protect your eyes, Boylan suggests that you wear protective eye wear, such as goggles or even glasses with shatterproof glass or plastic lenses. “Anyone with only one good eye should always wear protective eye wear if there is a chance of being hit with anything,” stresses Boylan.

As far as how to choose the right goggles or glasses, it’s not too difficult. “Make sure the lenses are shatterproof and the glasses or goggles fit comfortably,” says Boylan. “The goggles worn by squash and racquetball players often don’t contain any lenses, and that’s OK. The frame itself will keep the ball away from the eye,” he continues. Most sporting goods stores, as well as eye-wear stores, carry protective eye wear for sporting events. If you can’t locate any, consult your eye doctor.

Tagged under:  black eye, black eyes, black eyes remedies, eye clinic, Eyes Disorders, meets the eye treatment of black eyes

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