Conjunctivitis is a common condition resulting in red eyes or ‘Pink Eye.’ While most people associate conjunctivitis with an eye infection, it can also be due to toxins, blunt injury, dryness, allergies, UV radiation, embedded foreign objects and environmental conditions.
A focal dark or bright red spot on the white of the eye is most often just a leakage of blood under the surface membrane over the white of the eye. This is termed conjunctival hemorrhage and is usually nothing to worry about. The spot will dissipate on its own within a week or so.
Chronic pinkish eyes are usually caused by allergies or dryness. Eyes that rapidly get red, uncomfortable and swollen with discharge are most probably infected. Viruses are the most common cause (pink eye) and can be treated with a special eyewash in the doctor’s office or by prescription drops. A bacterial conjunctivitis typically has more discharge but less discomfort, and it too is treated with drops.
Misdiagnosis is common by practitioners who are not eye doctors. Without proper instrumentation, an inflammation inside the eye could be diagnosed and treated as a surface infection, causing a delay in proper care.
Anterior uveitis (iritis) or episcleritis are inflammations of deeper tissues that require steroids, not antibiotics. Herpes virus infections are very sight-threatening and can be worsened by steroids. These conditions need specific anti-viral therapy, so proper, immediate diagnosis is key.
An eye doctor is the best provider to see for any red or uncomfortable eye. You can get the right care for the condition based on their training, instruments and experience.
If you are suffering from red eye, give us a call. Accent Vision uses advanced technology to examine your eyes and diagnose the causes of eye redness. Contact us today to find out more and get relief from your symptoms!