Eye Health
Red and painful eyes
Eyes can become red and painful for a number of reasons - including some that require immediate treatment - so always take a red, painful eye seriously, especially if the vision is affected.
Chemical burns, especially from caustics, can destroy an eye very quickly. Immediate copious flushing of the eye with saline or tap water for at least 15 minutes should be done even while waiting for emergency care.
Some Red Eye Causes
- Trauma - sharp or blunt, leaving foreign bodies, scratches, cuts, bruises, bleeds and internal eye effects
- Radiation - welding flash, sun exposure
- Chemical burns
- Acute glaucoma - raised fluid pressure in the eye. Most people with glaucoma have the slow, symptomless kind, but if the eye pressure rises suddenly, the eye will be red and sore.
- Complications from contact lens wear
- Infections
- Inflammation
- Allergy
- Growths on the eye
- "Dry" eyes - poor tear quality
Sorting out the cause, and therefore the treatment, for a sore, red eye requires careful examination.
Never delay getting a red eye seen to.
Further information
British Medical Journal summary of red eye
Eye Health Facts
Do exercises help eyes?
Each eye's movements are controlled by 6 different muscles - so when you move your eyes 12 different muscles are needing to work in co-operation. Luckily for most people, this all happens without having to think about it. Some people do have trouble co-ordinating the movements and the focus of their eyes, and so for these people eye exercises are helpful, leading to clearer and more comfortable vision.
However it's important to know the limitation of eye exercises. For many conditions eye exercises don't help at all. Be sure to know the cause of your vision problem before starting eye exercises - so that the right treatment is given, and so that you don't spend a lot of time exercising for no benefit.