Bloodshot eyes can be caused by various factors, including allergies, infections, trauma, and medical conditions. Symptoms may include pain or visual difficulties. Allergies can be triggered by medications, environmental factors, and animal bites. Infections and inflammations can cause eye redness, itchiness, and pain. Trauma to the eye, such as coughing or foreign objects, can also cause bloodshot eyes. Other medical conditions, such as dehydration, dry eyes, and glaucoma, can also result in this condition.
Bloodshot eyes, a condition in which the whites of the eyes turn red, occur because blood vessels in the eye dilate or swell. Since there are a variety of causes for this dilation and swelling, the condition itself is quite common. Allergies, infections, and trauma can cause bloodshot eyes, as can some other medical conditions. Each of these causes can be mild or severe, but the amount of redness in the eye does not necessarily determine how severe a person’s overall condition is. The most important symptoms to look out for are accompanying pain or visual difficulties.
Allergies can definitely be the cause of bloodshot eyes. Medications, environmental and animal factors are some of the things that can cause an allergic reaction in a person. For example, a penicillin injection can cause a person to experience eye redness, in addition to other allergy symptoms. Pollen is an example of an environmental factor that can also lead to eye redness. Additionally, some animals can also trigger an allergic reaction, such as being bitten by a particular insect.
The list of infections and inflammations that can cause bloodshot eyes is varied and extensive. While this makes it impossible to discuss them all, some examples include blepharitis, conjunctivitis, and uveitis. With blepharitis, an infection occurs in an eyelash follicle due to bacteria in the skin. Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is inflammation due to bacterial or viral causes. Uveitis is inflammation of the choroid, ciliary body and iris. In addition to eye redness, an infection can also cause itchy or painful eyes, and could even lead to vision problems.
Trauma to the eye can also be responsible for bloodshot eyes. This can be anything from coughing or straining to eye surgery to foreign objects in the eye. Coughing and straining can actually cause a condition known as subconjunctival hemorrhage, which occurs when a blood vessel ruptures and causes a patch of red in the white part of the eye; this minor bleeding usually goes away on its own within a couple of weeks. Bleeding in the eye can also cause bloodshot eyes and can explain the redness if a person has just had eye surgery. It is understandable that foreign objects, such as contact lenses, can cause red eyes because they can scratch the cornea.
Bloodshot eyes can also occur due to other medical conditions. Some examples are dehydration, dry eyes or eye strain. Additionally, other conditions that can result in bloodshot eyes include acute glaucoma, keratoconus, and pterygium.
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