My eyes are constantly red and they burn. I have gotten glasses and tried eye drops, but neither have helped. What should I do?
Quite a menu of illnesses and conditions can cause redness and burning in your eyes. It may take a little time and effort to figure out the source of the problem. I suggest you either go back to your eye doctor or talk to your primary care physician. It sounds as if this has been going on for awhile now and it’s time you got to the bottom of this.
Allergies are a common cause of red, burning, itchy eyes. One common manifestation of allergies is allergic conjunctivitis. Viral or bacterial conjunctivitis (pink eye) is a possibility, too. The latter two are contagious and though we think of pink eye as a child’s disease, adults often get it.
Perhaps a product that you use regularly is irritating your eyes. Makeup may contain irritants. Many creams, lotions, sunscreens and other skin products can cause redness and burning if they get into the eye. Certain cosmetics, such as hair spray and aerosol household products, can also affect the eyes.
A thorough eye exam should help rule out eye diseases that can cause redness or burning, such as blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids), growths, dry eye and more. It’s also possible that your eye drops are making the situation worse. When overused, over-the-counter drops that clear up red eyes by shrinking blood vessels can cause a kind of rebound effect that makes your eyes worse over the long term.
Other types of eye drops, such as artificial tears, can be soothing. But they can also act as irritants, particularly if they contain certain types of chemicals used as preservatives. This may also apply to prescription eye drops.
Another consideration is work. Do you spend the bulk of your day sitting in front of a computer monitor? Computer-related eyestrain, which can cause eye redness and burning, can come from poor positioning of you or the monitor, as well as from glare, staring at the screen too long without blinking, and similar problems.