Red eyes are caused by swollen or dilated blood vessels on the white outer surface of the eye. In some cases, red eye can be accompanied by mild eye pain, itching, and minor eye swelling. In other cases, red eye may not cause any eye irritation. Read on to learn more about symptoms and causes of red eye, and how you can get relief.
Red Eye Symptoms
In some cases, redness of the eye may be your only symptom. However, other common symptoms associated with red eye include:
noticeable red or pink, wiggly lines across the “white” of the eye
eye irritation or discomfort
itchy eyes
swelling of the eyelids
What Causes Red Eyes?
Red eye occurs when the blood vessels on the surface of the eye expand, turning the whites of one or both eyes a reddish color. While there are many triggers that can cause your eyes to become red and irritated, here are some of the most common everyday causes of red eyes:
eye allergies
contact lenses
dry eyes
excessive screen watching
smoke and/or smoking
lack of sleep
swimming
eye fatigue
environmental irritants / pollutants
Tips for Red Eye Relief
Red eye relief drops like VISINE® Red Eye Comfort, VISINE® Red Eye Hydrating Comfort, and VISINE® Red Eye Total Comfort Multi-Symptom can be an effective way to relieve your eyes from redness due to minor eye irritations associated with red eye.
Depending on the cause of red eye, some tips to help relieve your red eye symptoms include:
removing contacts
remove eye makeup properly
avoiding touching your eye
taking a break from screen-watching. Try the 20-20-20 Rule. Look away from your screen every 20 minutes and stare at something 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.
using redness relief eye drops like VISINE® Red Eye Total Comfort Multi-Symptom
If red eye persists or is accompanied by more severe symptoms, please see your eye doctor.
