Red Irritated Eyes
Eye infections are characterized by discharge and usually crusting around
the eyelid. This can sometimes cause the eyelid to be stuck shut in
the morning. The eye is usually red and feels irritated like something
is in it. Usually these symptoms come on quickly, within a day or two.
It may spread from one eye to the next. The two most common causes of
eye infections are bacteria and viruses. Here in Arizona
because of the dry climate we have very few true "Pink Eye" infections
from viruses. We have many more bacterial eye infections.
The textbook
example of "Pink Eye," is caused by a virus that can spread from person
to person very easy. The virus infection last about one week and then
goes away. Much like catching a common cold. The virus infections
tend to have more watery discharge rather than mucus or puss like discharge
of bacterial infections. People who wear contact lenses tend to get more
bacterial infections and they can be very serious and they should stop
wearing contacts immediately.
Treatment
The first step of treatment is to determine the cause. There are subtle
differences between the causes of the eye infection that can be observed
with a microscope called a slit-lamp in the office. Once the suspected
cause is determined the treatments are:
Viral Eye Infections - Usually consist of relief of symptoms with artificial
tears and cool compresses. If the symptoms are more sever then prescription
eye drops can further relieve them.
Bacterial Eye Infections - Since this is caused by bacteria, antibiotics
will kill the bacteria and make the infection get better. All of the
antibiotic eye drops require a prescription and there are many different
types of drops and ointments. Most of the drop require you to put one
drop in the eye four times a day. The drops are comfortable and are well
tolerated.
