Eye Redness
What is Eye Redness?
Eye Redness, which describes red, bloodshot eyes, is often caused when the blood vessels near the surface of the eye become enlarged or dilated and can occur in one or both eyes. While this is often painless and resolves on its own, eye redness can be a sign and/or symptom of a larger issue causing pain or irritation, which may necessitate assistance from your optometrist.
Eye redness can indicate that there is a problem in the front and/or back of the eye. Most of the time eye redness indicates that there is disruption to one of the front surface structures. This can be caused by infection, inflammation, allergies, or dryness. While there are a range of over-the-counter medications available to treat red eye, it is important that you use the right product for your symptoms. Your eye care professional can assist in choosing the right medication to treat your eye redness.
In some cases, a more serious or underlying cause of eye redness may not be readily apparent to the patient, and so it is important for an optometrist to examine one’s eye to rule out any eye complications. If your red eyes persist for longer than 1-2 days, is accompanied by eye pain or vision changes, you feel sensitivity to light, or you have discharge from one or both eyes, then it is important that you seek immediate attention from your optometrist.
While often eye redness is not serious, it can sometimes indicate other abnormalities that are occurring at the back of the eye. If your eye redness is not improving or your vision becomes compromised, then please book an appointment with one of our optometrists today.
