EYE REDNESSDr. Carolina Valdivia answers a question from a male reader in Ghana about eye redness, including its causes and its seriousness.  A male reader from Ghana writes:Recently, while watching television with my daughter, she told me that the area around my eye where the eye meets the nose bridge is deep red. This is the second time that she has alerted me to this condition. It affects only my left eye. I am taking cusimolol for glaucoma. Could you give me an idea what might be wrong?
There are many causes of eye redness. As an ophthalmologist, I devote special attention to redness in the eyes, because it can be caused by different conditions and diseases, some of which are relatively benign (not a threat to health or life) but others can be related to serious illnesses or medical emergencies. Eye redness often is accompanied by other symptoms. It is the presence of these other symptoms that determines the severity of the problem. For example, a patient with redness in the eye also may have decreased visual acuity, pain that can range from mild to severe, watery or purulent (containing pus) discharge, excessive itching, sensation of a foreign body in the eye, and/or pain on exposure to light (photophobia). The most common cause of red eye is blepharitis. This condition is characterized by inflammation of the eyelid margin and usually is caused by a malfunction of small oil-producing structures called meibomian glands, which leads to inflammation. Another cause may be dry eye, caused by inflammation of the conjunctiva due to infection, allergies, or environmental irritants. Other conditions, such as pinguecula and pterygium can cause inflammation and thickening of the conjunctiva. Without examining you myself, it is very difficult to pinpoint what is happening in your specific case. You mention that you are applying eye drops to control the pressure inside your eye (intraocular pressure.) Although the medicine you mentioned can cause eye redness in some patients, it is unlikely that it is doing so in your case because you report that the redness occurs only in one eye. For the same reason, it also is unlikely that the underlying cause of the redness in your eye is due to allergies or environmental irritants. However, allergies or environmental irritants could be making the problem worse. Excessive exposure to the sun, television, or the computer also can cause red eye in some people. It is important that you have your intraocular pressure rechecked by an ophthalmologist and ask him or her to examine your affected eye for blepharitis, dry eye, infection or other problem that might be the underlying cause for its redness. Carolina Valdivia, MD
REFERENCE:Khaw PT, Shah P, and Elkington AR. ABC of Eyes, 4th Ed. London: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 2004:7-14.
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