Red Eye Emergency
Red Eye Emergency Treatment Brisbane
One or both eyes can turn red for a number of reasons. Many of these are relatively benign; however, a small number of red eye cases are severe and will require urgent treatment. The problem lies in determining whether your red eyes are a serious concern or not. As such, any sudden changes to the appearance of the eye or any vision changes should be met with prompt medical attention.
Common Eye Emergencies
There are numerous conditions or injuries that can damage the eye and give them a red appearance. These can be broken down into urgent, semi-urgent and chronic.
Urgent Red Eye
The following eye conditions are considered emergencies and require immediate medical attention:
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a sudden increase in the pressure of the fluid inside the eyes. Symptoms may include eye redness, eye pain, a cloudy cornea, vision changes, nausea, and vomiting.
- Trauma to the eye could include an abrasion on the cornea or a foreign body in the eye. Symptoms often include eye redness, eye pain and loss of vision.
- Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea, with common signs including eye redness, eye pain, blurriness, and eye discharge.
- Scleritis is an inflammation of the white of the eye. Common symptoms include eye redness, eye pain and tenderness, light sensitivity, and blurred vision.
- Endophthalmitis is an infection of the fluids inside the eyeball. Symptoms may include red eyes, eye pain, decreased vision, swollen eyelids and eye pus.
- Periorbital cellulitis is an infection of the eyelid and area surrounding the eye, while orbital cellulitis is an infection of the eyeball and surrounding tissues. Symptoms often include eye redness, swelling, eye pain and eye tenderness.
Semi-Urgent Red Eye
The following eye conditions may not be as serious; however, you should seek medical attention if the redness doesn’t resolve within a week.
- Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the eyeball’s outer membrane and the inner eyelid. Symptoms could include eye redness, itchiness, eye discharge and a gritty feeling in the eye/s.
- Episcleritis is an inflammation of the clear layer on top of the white part of the eye. Common symptoms include eye redness, tearing, sensitivity to light and a gritty sensation in the eye/s.
- Subconjunctival haemorrhage is a red spot that appears on the eye due to a broken blood vessel. Usually, the red patch in the eye is the only noticeable symptom.
Chronic Red Eye
The following are conditions that can cause chronic eye redness. These are usually not an emergency; however, medical attention is still required to determine the appropriate treatment.
- Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid that often makes the eyes red, swollen, itchy and irritated. It can also cause crusty, dandruff-like flakes on the eyelashes.
- Ocular rosacea is inflammation that causes eye redness, burning and itchiness and develops in people who have skin rosacea.
- Trichiasis is an eyelid condition where the eyelashes grow inward towards the eye, while distichiasis is characterised by having two rows of eyelashes. Both of these can cause patients to rub their eyelashes constantly, which leads to redness.
- Floppy eyelid syndrome is a condition in which the eyelids lose elasticity and become rubbery, lax and turn upwards. This can be associated with obstructive sleep apnoea.
- Lagophthalmos is a condition that prevents the eyes from closing completely.
- Dacryocystitis and canaliculitis are both inflammatory conditions that can cause tear duct drainage problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ultimately, any sudden changes in the eye require urgent medical attention from an ophthalmologist. Your eye evaluation will likely consist of vision tests and eye movement assessments. Your ophthalmologist may also use eye drops and specialised equipment to check eye pressure and examine various parts of the eye. From there, they can determine the cause of your red eyes and the appropriate treatment. Treatment will ultimately depend on the specific cause of your red eyes; however, it may include eye drops, medication, or surgery.
If you experience any of the following situations, you should seek treatment from a medical professional immediately:
- Unexplained eye pain and redness
- Sudden vision loss or vision changes, such as flashing lights or floaters
- A scratch, cut or puncture wound to the eye
- An object is stuck in the eye
- The eye is exposed to chemicals
- Nausea, vomiting or headache, when accompanied by eye pain
Dr Jayne Camuglia is a General Adult and Paediatric Ophthalmologist available to diagnose and treat red eye emergencies. If you require an urgent eye review, please get in touch to see Dr Camuglia today.