How do you cure a red eye?
When you have a red eye, it can be frustrating and irritating. Sometimes it is painful, other times you just find yourself blinking a lot while people ask you if you are ok. How do you cure a red eye? The cause of the red eye can determine the solution. Sometimes it can be a quick fix, while other times it can take much longer.
The cause of red eye or bloodshot eyes can often just be something minor like dust or makeup. It is fairly eye to get something in your eye and then have a hard time feeling like you have gotten it out. At one point or another, everyone experiences something getting in their eyes and having irritation. Sleeping with an overhead fan on can also dry out your eyes. When they dry out, you tend to rub them more too, which if you do this while sleeping, you can wake up with irritation and redness.
Other simple causes for red eyes include allergies and pollen, dirty or old contacts, and saltwater or sunshine overexposure. Of course there can be more serious causes such as trauma or injury, infections like pink eye (Conjunctivitis), or even glaucoma, ulcers, or uveitis. Your eyes are independent of one another when it comes to conditions and health, which is why generally, if both of your eyes are red, it is probably due to something like allergies. It is possible to have rubbed your one eye then touched the other and spread something like Pink Eye to both eyes.
How can I treat my red eyes at home?
You wake up and your eyes hurt. They burn or itch and you just want tp rub them- but wait! Rubbing makes it worse. Wash your hands, then flush your eye with clean water to easy the discomfort. Taking a small dixie cup is a good way to do it. After you get a good rinse, you can use quality eye drops to help re-lubricate your eye with its more natural like tears. The water will help to rinse any foreign objects like dust, an eyelash, or makeup from your eyes. The eye drops give the eyes the saline needed to help heal.
A hot water towel compress is another great method to ease irritated eyes. The heat helps to sooth, while the steam from the water gives extra moisture to help flush. You want to get your tap water good and hot, then take a face cloth and get it all the way wet. Make sure you ring it out good before placing it over your closed eyes. If you have makeup on, it is very important to remove all the makeup you can specifically with makeup remover to make sure no additional makeup gets into your eye, which could very well be your culprit.
There are lots of over-the-counter eye drops available that specialize in red eye. We find that the fastest acting eye drops you can buy without a prescription are generally the more expensive ones. These have higher quality ingredients that act more like your natural tears and have better soothing properties to them. Often you will find that you actually use less of the product at one time than with the less expensive version which means they also can last longer. Do mind their expiration dates however, as expired eye drops of any kind could make things worse.
What if my at home treatment isn’t clearing up my red eyes?
If these self care tips don’t clear up your eye in an hour or two and no improvement is visible, you should call to get an appointment to be seen to make sure it is nothing more serious. We are able to help you identify the problem further and get prescription eye drops that can make a big difference.
In the meantime, we also highly recommend switching to your glasses rather than putting your contacts in. This is why you always want a pair of glasses on hand for those just-in-case moments. If you are not a contact lens wearer, then just keep those hands away from your eyes and let them rest if possible!
