Eye Education Series-Red Eye: Dr.

Murali Mohan Gurram

RED EYE Every one of us might have experienced red eye atleast once in our life time. Reasons for redeye can vary from trivial reasons to some blinding eye diseases. The cause of red eye should be known and treated to prevent unexpected complications. Every one should have a knowledge of these red eye causes and their symptoms. Our eye has a thin layer covering it which is called conjunctiva. This conjunctiva has blood vessels which are usually small and not prominent. Whenever there is irritation or inflammation, these blood vessels will increase in number and size, leading to more blood entering them. This causes redness of eye. Sometimes, normal blood vessels can rupture due to trauma or blood pressure. This causes blood to ooze out of blood vessels and cause redness. This is called Subconjunctival hemorrhage. This article tries to explain the various causes of red eye with their symptoms and treatment. 1. Foreign body: If your eye is red and have severe foreign body sensation (feeling of

something pricking inside the eye), which has developed suddenly in a dusty environment, you are probably having a Foreign body in your eye. This can be a dust particle, a stone particle or a leaf particle. Wash the eye with clean water immediately, which flushes off the foreign body. If its not gone, try to look for the foreign body in the mirror. You can also take the help of your friend , to find out the foreign body. If its superficial, it can be removed by using a cotton wisp. If it doesnot get dislodged, seek medical attention immediately. Do not rub your eyes, as it can damage the cornea and lead to severe problems of vision.

Script by Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

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Eye Education Series-Red Eye: Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

2.

Conjunctivitis (Madras eye): If your eye is red with mild foreign body sensation and

you get white discharge from your eyes, which appears even after cleaning, you may be having acute mucopurulent conjunctivitis. You will also find that your eyelashes get stuck to each other. You find it difficult to open your eyes in the morning. Vision is usually not affected in this disease. It starts in one eye, and after couple of days involves the other eye too. Conjunctivitis is the infection of conjunctiva, which is a thin layer covering the eye and which extends onto inner surface of eye lids. Usually the infection is by bacteria. These enter your eye, when you touch your eyes with infected hands or other materials. Once u get this, keep your eyes clean by washing away the discharge every 6 hourly. Take medical advice for antiobiotic treatment and follow the instructions. Take care not to spread your infection to others. Do not let others use towels, handkerchiefs etc which were used by you. It does not spread just by seeing into others eyes. Children are most common to get this infection. If your child has this problem, do not send the child to school for few days, as there is a great chance that the other kids in the class get the infection too.

3.

Allergic conjunctivopathy: if your eyes are red and watering with itching sensation, you

may be suffering from allergic conjunctivopathy. It is usually seen in both eyes. You have severe itching in the eyes, and on rubbing, the eyes become red. Sometimes it may be associated with sneezing and itching over the nose. This is usually seen in people with allergic tendencies like asthma, allergic dermatitis etc. it is common in children where special types of allergic conjunctivitis occur like vernal catarrh. It is a seasonal disease with recurrences. Vision is usually not affected. Try to avoid dust, cold weather etc. these problems are treated with steroid medications, which should not be used injudiciously. Medications should be strictly used

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Eye Education Series-Red Eye: Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

according to the ophthalmologists advice. This usually gets responded with the treatment, but recurs few months to a year later.

4.

Iritis / Iridocyclitis: If your eye is red and your vision is foggy, usually in one eye, you

may be having iritis. Iris is a thin opaque membrane inside the eye which regulates the amount of light reaching the retina (like camera aperture). This membrane may get inflamed due to several reasons. This is usually an allergic phenomenon, with the allergen coming from the own body. The eye becomes red especially around the cornea (the black circle on the eye), unlike other causes of red eye, where in the redness is uniform all over the globe. Treatment should be done by ophthalmologist, and therefore medical attention should be sought. Its treated with steroids and the response is usually good, but recurrences are common in few people with bodily problems, for which a detailed systemic evaluation is needed.

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Eye Education Series-Red Eye: Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

5.

Corneal ulcer: if you have red eye, with decreased vision and see a white or yellow

patch on your cornea, you have corneal ulcer or keratitis. This is an infection of the cornea. Usually seen in field workers after trauma with vegetative matter. Sometimes seen in contact lens wearers, who dont take proper care of their lenses. The infective organisms eat away the corneal tissue leading to necrosis. This is a serious disease, which may lead to blindness, if not treated early.

6.

Acute congestive Glaucoma: If you have redness with severe pain in eye and head, with

decreased vision, you might be having acute congestive glaucoma. This is not so common. Our eye ball maintains its shape, due to fluid present in it, which is called aqueous humor. This fluid is produced in certain part of the eye, it circulates in the eye, and finally leaves the eye through another part called angle of eye. In some people this outlet i.e angle is so narrow , that the fluid cannot escape from the eye. This leads to increased pressure in the eye, which irritates the iris and other parts, causing redness, defective vision and pain. This is again a serious

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Eye Education Series-Red Eye: Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

disorder, if not treated early. Immediate medical attention should be sought. Its usually treated with medicines, either orally or Intravenous. It also requires a laser procedure to let the fluid out.

Other diseases like Blepharitis, computer vision syndrome, sub-conjunctival hemorrhage, orbital cellulitis, tumors etc, also cause redness of eyes. Only the common and serious ones are discussed above.

(Thanks for google images for providing me the sources of images)

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