This could have been caused by a lot of things from conjunctivitis to sun exposure, dusts to name a few. It could also have resulted from something very serious that will need urgent or emergency care.
Let's rule out anything that require urgent or emergency care before seeing what a pharmacist recommend you use over-the-counter for red eye relief.
Pink eye is very contagious, so if you suspect you are experiencing one, see our entry on pink eye for a more detailed analysis so you can make the best decision on what to do.
Yes?
Hope we are not looking at a scratched cornea. Let's take a look.
Did you say earlier that it feels as if there is sand or grit in the eye?
Yes?
We may be looking at a scratched cornea. This is a sign and symptom.
Did you also say the eye is getting very sensitive to light?
Yes?
This frequently happens with a scratched cornea.
Alright. Is your vision getting very blurry?
A lot of tearing too.
OK
A cornea abrasion or scratched cornea can cause this.
Symptoms of a scratched cornea include:
Feeling like sand in the eye
Eye pain when you open or close the eye
Tearing
Sensitivity to light
Blurred vision
We just went through the symptoms of a scratched cornea.
If you suspect you may be looking at a scratched cornea, go to the nearest urgent care center or hospital. Do not attempt to wait it out. It is very painful and would get worse with time.
You don't know how bad the scratch is and severe complications can develop. Know that the signs and symptoms of a cornea abrasion may not show up until later. So you won't know when you poked the eye or had the incident that scratched the cornea.
If you are experiencing severe eye pain, seek urgent care. Else let's continue.
Sometimes called CLARE (Contact lens acute red eye), this type of keratitis is often bacterial and you will need antibiotic eye drops urgently. How urgent, see it as bacteria invading your eyes. They spread very fast. The more you delay, the more bacteria is going to colonize the eye and do more damage. So hurry to the nearest urgent care clinic.
If none of the discussions apply to you so far, you may not need to seek urgent care.
You may be looking at a minor eye irritation or subconjunctivalhemorrhage
Subconjunctival hemorrhage is like a bruise of the eye or a broken blood vessel on the surface of the eye.
It usually appears as a single, concentrated spot of red, or many scattered red splotches, on the white of the eye. The redness is blood under the conjunctiva.
Treatment of a subconjunctival hemorrhage is generally not necessary. Over time, the blood spot will slowly disappear, clearing up on its own. This may take days or weeks.
Let's see what a pharmacist recommend to help get rid of this red eye that is available over-the-counter.
