Red Eye

Common causes of a red eye

A red eye is often caused by an infection or dry eyes, but there are lots of possible causes.

Do not try to diagnose it yourself.

Symptoms	Possible cause
Bright red area in the white of your eye	Burst blood vessel
Gritty or burning feeling, sticky eyes	Conjunctivitis
Sore, blurry or watery eyes	Dry eyes
Itchy, sore or red crusted eyelids	Blepharitis
Feels like there's something in your eye or there is a problem with your eyelashes	Ingrowing eyelash
Swollen, drooping or twitching eyelid, or a lump on your eyelid	Eyelid problems

What to do if you have a red eye

If your eye does not hurt, your sight is not affected and you do not feel sick or unwell, it's probably nothing serious. It may get better on its own in a few days.

Until it has got better:

try not to touch or rub your eye
do not wear contact lenses

A pharmacist can help if you have a red eye

You can ask a pharmacist if:

there's anything you can do to treat your eye yourself
you can buy anything to help, such as cleaning solutions, eyedrops or medicines
you need to see a GP or optician

Find a pharmacy

See a GP or optician if:

your child is under 2 years old and has a red eye
you have red eyes with a sticky discharge
you have red patches in your eye or a problem with your eyelids or eyelashes for more than a few days
you're worried about your eyes

If the GP or optician cannot find what's causing your red eye, they may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for tests.

Ask for an urgent appointment with a GP or optician, or get help from NHS 111 if:

your baby has red eyes and they're less than 28 days old
your eye is very painful and red
you have a red eye and wear contact lenses - you could have an eye infection

You can call 111 or get&t=/">get help from 111 online.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

You have a red eye and:

you have any changes to your sight, like wavy lines, flashing or loss of vision
it hurts to look at light
you have a severe headache and feel sick
your eye or eyes are very dark red
you have injured your eye, or something is stuck in your eye (such as a piece of glass or grit)
your eye injury was caused by a dangerous liquid, such as a chemical
1 pupil is bigger than the other

Find your nearest A&E

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring any medicines you take with you.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
Photos: OutUK and LightFieldStudios.