Unmasking the Mystery of Red Eyes

Red eye is a condition in which the white part of your eye (the sclera) becomes red. Sometimes you can see squiggly lines, like veins, on the surface of your eye, making one or both eyes appear bloodshot. The redness comes from blood vessels that are dilated as a result of some type of irritation or infection.

The numerous causes of red eye include:

• Allergies
• Dry eyes
• Glaucoma
• Eye injury
• Blepharitis (eyelid inflammation)
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• A sty (bump) in your eye
• Foreign object in your eye
• Keratitis (inflammation)
• Smoke and air pollution
• Digital eye strain
• Corneal ulcer
• Alcohol consumption
• Lack of sleep
• Subconjunctival hemorrhage

In many cases, the redness goes away on its own, but if it doesn’t, or one eye appears severely red and veiny, it could be a sign of an underlying, serious eye condition. It’s a good idea to seek treatment as soon as possible, as some untreated eye diseases can lead to permanent vision loss.  

If redness accompanies sudden vision changes along with eye redness, or you have a severe headache or eye pain, seek emergency medical care. If, however, you have one red eye and symptoms spread to the other eye, it could be a sign of conjunctivitis, which is highly contagious. Additionally, if you have a red eye that doesn’t get better after a few days, or your eye continually feels irritated, it’s time to make an appointment with Dr. Ghobrial.

Dr. Ghobrial provides expert diagnosis and treatment for the underlying causes of red eye so you can get prompt relief from discomfort. And, if you need further evaluation and testing for more serious conditions such as glaucoma or dry eye syndrome, Dr. Ghobrial has many years of experience as an ophthalmologist treating these conditions as well.