If the eyes are the windows to the soul, bloodshot eyes are the windows to your health. If you see red eyes in the mirror, they could indicate something is wrong with your eyes or another part of your body. However, because so many conditions can cause redness in one or both of your eyes, it's not always easy to determine what's causing it and what you can do about it.
Some of these reasons are minor and have simple solutions, while others are more serious. For example, red, inflamed, or itchy eyes could be the first sign of a vision-impairing condition.
1. Red Eyes From Allergies
An allergic reaction can make your eyes feel bad—think itchy, tender, and watery. However, it can cause blotchy redness, which only worsens if you scratch your eyes.
Although almost anything can cause an allergic reaction, the most common allergens are dust, pollen, pet dander, and detergent are the most common allergens.
Determine what triggered your reaction and avoid coming into contact with it again. When you are no longer exposed to the allergen, the redness will begin to fade, but this may take some time, depending on the severity of your allergy.
2. Pink Eye
Conjunctivitis is a bacterial, viral, or allergy-induced infection that causes one or both eyes to become bright red, swollen, teary, and itchy.
Pink eye spreads quickly, even though it rarely becomes serious. It can make your eyes goopy and pinkish-red, keeping you from working for several days.
Pink eye does not necessitate a visit to the doctor. A cold compress can help reduce the redness in your eyes and make them feel better. However, if you are unsure whether you have pink eye or if the infection does not resolve within a few days, consult your eye doctor.
3. Heavy Alcohol Use
After consuming a large amount of alcohol, you may notice that your eyes have bright red spider veins. That is the effect of alcohol on the eyes.
Alcohol dilates the tiny blood vessels in the eyes, allowing more blood to flow through them. As a result, the more you drink, the more visible and red they appear against your eye whites.
4. Too Little Sleep
When your eyes are kept open for an extended period of time due to a lack of sleep, the cornea is not well lubricated, which can cause dryness and redness. The best way to calm them down is to get more sleep and relieve their discomfort with artificial tears and cool compresses.
5. Bloodshot Eyes From a Stye
A stye is a small red bump that appears on your upper eyelid when an oil gland becomes clogged.
You could have one or more, and each will look like a pimple or a boil. Redness, swelling, and sensitivity are among the first symptoms. Styes are caused by bacteria and affect almost everyone at some point in their lives.
Fortunately, a style has no effect on your vision. However, it can still be bothersome, and getting rid of it usually entails waiting and letting it go away on its own after a few days.
6. Contact Lens Irritation
Contact lenses can limit the amount of oxygen that reaches your eyes, resulting in bloodshot and irritated eyes. In addition, if the lenses are worn for an extended period of time or while sleeping, they can cause redness, infections, and, in the worst-case scenario, corneal ulcers.
Avoid these problems by carefully following the lens care instructions, cleaning them properly, practicing good contact lens hygiene, and removing the contacts before going to bed.
7. A Subconjunctival Hemorrhage
A subconjunctival hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel beneath the surface of the eye ruptures. Blood becomes trapped and forms a bright red patch in the white of the eye when this happens. Usually, the red patch fades after a few weeks.
8. Glaucoma
When there is too much pressure on the eye, glaucoma damages the optic nerve, which connects the retina to the brain. This is usually due to fluid buildup.
Redness is one of the first symptoms of one type of glaucoma known as angle-closure glaucoma. Other symptoms include cloudy vision, seeing halo effects around lights, swollen eyes, eye pain, and nausea and vomiting.
Glaucoma can result in blindness, so if you suspect you have it, you should see an eye specialist for a thorough examination.