If your eyes are red and you have the following symptoms, you should consider this eye disease!

Author: Yang Diya, glaucoma and cataract specialist at Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Tian Bei, Chief Physician, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University

There are many reasons for red eyes, such as intraocular inflammation, foreign body irritation, etc. If your eyes are red, no matter what the reason is, you should go to the hospital in time. According to the symptoms and ophthalmological examination, the cause can be determined and targeted treatment can be carried out.

Red and itchy eyes with heavy discharge:

If your eyes are red and itchy, and there is a lot of secretion, you should consider acute conjunctivitis. Acute conjunctivitis is commonly known as pink eye, an acute inflammatory disease of the conjunctiva caused by viral or bacterial infection, and is mainly manifested by red and itchy eyes, tearing, increased secretion, and a foreign body sensation in the eyes. How much secretion is there? In the morning, the upper and lower eyelids may stick together, and you may even need to use your hands to separate them.

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There are two main types of acute conjunctivitis: acute bacterial conjunctivitis and epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. As the name suggests, bacterial conjunctivitis is caused by bacterial infection; epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is related to viral infection and may be more itchy than acute bacterial conjunctivitis. The secretions are often mucous and more likely to invade the cornea, causing corneal epithelial inflammation. If not treated in time, scars will be left on the cornea even after healing, which will affect vision.

Conjunctivitis is treated mainly according to the cause. Viral conjunctivitis should be treated with antiviral treatment, and bacterial conjunctivitis should be treated with antibacterial treatment, mainly with topical medication, such as applying antibiotic eye ointment or antiviral eye ointment at night. In addition, prevention of infection is equally important. Wash hands immediately after contact with eyes or eye drops, and washbasins and towels used by individuals should be disinfected regularly to prevent infection to family members.

Eye congestion and pain during menstruation:

Eye congestion, redness and pain during menstruation is a sign of superficial scleritis. Some women experience superficial scleritis during menstruation, which is mainly manifested by deep congestion of the sclera and edema of the conjunctiva.

Generally, superficial scleritis does not require special treatment, but if the eyes are red, painful, and there are uncomfortable symptoms, artificial tears can be used locally, combined with cold compresses, or even anti-inflammatory drugs can be given to help patients relieve symptoms and eliminate tension.

If you have sinusitis, red and swollen eyelids, or bloodshot eyes:

Patients with sinusitis may experience bloodshot eyes, red, swollen and painful eyelids. In this case, they must be alert to the possibility of orbital cellulitis.

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Orbital cellulitis causes obvious and diffuse edema in the eye, pain when pressing locally, and a hard texture in the eye socket, which is different from the manifestations of conventional inflammation. In severe cases of orbital cellulitis, in addition to symptoms of redness, swelling, heat and pain in the eyelids, the eyeball may become fixed, protruding and unable to rotate, vision may be impaired, and may even lead to life-threatening conditions such as high fever and coma.

Therefore, if sinusitis patients have this situation, they should pay attention and seek medical attention in time. Generally, they need to do orbital and head MRI or CT examination, and at the same time, they need to check blood routine, often the white blood cell count will increase, and they also need to do bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test.

For orbital cellulitis, sensitive antibiotics should be selected and treated promptly based on the results of bacteriological culture and drug sensitivity test. If the orbital pressure is high, treatment to reduce orbital pressure or intracranial pressure should also be given to protect the optic nerve.

In spring and autumn, eyes become red and itchy:

If you sneeze and have red and itchy eyes at certain seasons, you should consider allergic conjunctivitis. Allergic conjunctivitis refers to the eyes being allergic to a certain substance in the air or environment. This is more common in spring or autumn. For example, if you are allergic to pollen, plant powder, dust, or animal fur in the air or environment, you will sneeze immediately, and your eyes will itch and water when you come into contact with these things.

Once you are sure that you are allergic to a certain substance, you must deliberately stay away from the allergen, and the allergic symptoms will improve. If you don't know which allergen you are allergic to, you can go for an allergen test.

The first thing to do for allergic conjunctivitis is to stay away from allergens. Haze in the air in winter can also cause allergic conjunctivitis. When you get home, you should rinse your eyes with tap water or saline. While avoiding allergens, you should also give certain anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic treatments, mainly anti-allergic treatments.