When you look in the mirror, you might be surprised that your eyes are red and bloodshot. Your eye may be pink or look red and bloody all over. It happens when blood vessels near the surface of the eye leak or get bigger.
You might wonder what caused it and how bad it is. It’s not a big deal most of the time, significantly if your eyes don’t hurt and you can still see fine. Many factors might cause your eyes to get red. Among the most frequent causes are:
Allergies
Pollen from trees and grasses are examples of outside triggers. Dust, mold, and pet dander are examples of indoor ones. Moreover, your eyes may experience any of the following symptoms: Moreover, you can have nasal allergy symptoms such as sneezing and a stuffy nose.
Dry Eye
Your tears sometimes lack the proper texture. They could disappear too quickly. And sometimes, tears just cannot be produced by your eye. We refer to this ailment as dry eye. It may result in discomfort, corneal ulceration, or in rare instances, partial vision loss.
Additional signs of dry eye include a stringy discharge; a gritty sensation; a burning sensation; blurry vision; heavy eyelids; an inability to weep; eye tiredness; excessive tears when your eyes aren’t dry; and discomfort with contact lenses.
A blood vessel rupture
Tiny blood vessels underneath the surface of your eye break, resulting in this. Your eye’s white becomes brilliant crimson because of the blood trapped there. Some things that can cause it are strong sneezes, challenging exercise, vomiting, or rubbing your eyes too much. If you use any blood-thinning drug, even baby aspirin, you may be more susceptible to damaged blood vessels. Damaged blood vessels may seem frightening, but they are usually not harmful.
An itchy sensation
In the front of your eye, fluid might accumulate. This puts strain on your optic nerve and may harm it. The ailment is known as glaucoma. For those 60 years of age and older, it is the leading cause of blindness.
Glaucoma often causes little discomfort. One unique sign of acute glaucoma is the appearance of rainbows or halos in your vision, along with severe eye discomfort, headaches, and impaired or decreased vision.
Episcleritis
Inflammation of the episclera, a thin layer of transparent tissue sitting on top of the sclera, the white portion of the eye, is known as episcleritis. This layer sits between the delicate eye “skin” and the sturdy eyeball wall.
Your eye appears red or bloodshot when the episclera’s small vessels become irritated or inflamed. Often, just one eye is affected, although both might be.
While the redness may resemble pinkeye or conjunctivitis, there is no gooey discharge.
Why are my eyes red after a shower
After a shower, a few explanations exist for why eyes might get red and sometimes scratchy.
Shampoo and soap – Certain shower products may include elements different from everyone’s taste. The chemicals in soap or face wash might irritate the eyes when you rub them with them, causing redness and itching.
Shower water – The eyes might get inflamed even when using organic and natural substances. In many situations, the cause of red eyes is not the goods but rather the water.
Contaminants in shower water that cannot be seen with the naked eye have the potential to irritate the eyes. The following are some significant tap water contaminants that induce red eyes after showering.
Chlorine is a disinfectant that is often regarded as being practical. Since chlorine helps eliminate most bacteria and organisms, most public water systems include it. Although chlorine concentrations are too low to hurt anybody, some susceptible individuals have red eyes.
Hardness Minerals – Dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium are abundant in tap water. The likelihood of having red eyes after a shower increases if the water is harsh. Iron, salts, and other metallic elements may sometimes be found in high concentrations in hard water.
Allergens and Other Foreign Items – Your eyes may get inflamed and scratchy if you are allergic to certain substances or tap water containing foreign things. Your eyes may get red when you massage them to relieve the itching.
Rubbing the eyes after a shower may make them red.
A hot shower is another factor that causes your eyes to get red. Although it is recommended to take hot showers, if the temperature is very high, it may cause the blood vessels to expand and cause redness in the eyes.
Dust; tobacco smoke; perfume
Inflammation of the cornea (keratitis), the colored area of the eye (iritis), the middle layer of the eye (uveitis), the white part of the eye (scleritis), or the membrane covering the white part of the eye are other eye disorders to consider (episcleritis)
Negative effects from contact lens usage or eye surgery
Targeting redness with over-the-counter eyedrops may potentially exacerbate the issue. Your eyes may start to rely on the drops and become much more inflamed when they stop working. They may also cause eye dryness and mask medical issues’ symptoms.
Treatment for Red Eyes
As long as they don’t occur often and don’t stay for too long, red eyes are typically nothing to be concerned about. Home treatments like relaxation, cold compresses, gently cleaning your eyes, or softly massaging them may help ease discomfort. Over-the-counter artificial tears that cleanse and moisturize your eyes may provide momentary comfort.
Antihistamines and decongestants may assist with allergic itching and redness. But they can cause your eyes to feel dry. Therefore you should attempt to use an artificial teardrop that is also lubricating. Antibiotics may be required if you have a bacterial infection.
If you have red eyes and any of the following symptoms at the same time:
- Sudden change in vision
- Sensitivity to light
- The sudden appearance of halos around lights
- Severe headache, eye pain, or fever
- Nausea or vomiting
- Something in your eye
- Swelling
- Inability to keep an eye open
Episcleritis Treatment Options
Simple episcleritis often goes away within a week to 10 days. An eye doctor may administer or prescribe lubricating eyedrops to relieve the itching and redness. They may also recommend a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID), such as ibuprofen. It may be taken as a tablet or applied to the eyes as a lotion. The doctor may prescribe a modest steroid eyedrop in more severe or painful circumstances.
Cold compresses used at home might help soothe discomfort. Although it could take longer and cause more pain, the nodular kind should also go away independently. Your eye doctor can request bloodwork or another lab test if it continues returning to rule out other medical conditions.
