Dry eyes can be noticed, among other things, by a feeling of foreign bodies in the eye, burning eyes or reddened conjunctiva.
What you can do yourself with dry eyes?
- Keep your eyes clean.
- Take breaks when working with the computer to relax your eyes.
- Increase the humidity in rooms (e.g. using a humidifier).
- Get enough sleep.
- Avoid contact lenses and wear glasses to soothe your eyes.
- Avoid smoky, dry, dusty and air-conditioned rooms.
- Do not smoke or drink too much alcohol.
Typical triggers for watering eyes include smoky rooms, environmental influences (e.g. cold, wind), an eye injury, a foreign body in the eye (e.g. eyelashes), allergies or dry eyes. If your watering eyes do not cause you any problems, treatment is often not necessary.
When to seek medical advice?
Contact your family doctor in the following cases:
- Your watering eyes prevent or interfere with everyday activities.
- Your eyesight has changed (e.g. loss of vision).
- You have lumps or swellings around your eye.
- Your eyes are inflamed or hurt.
- Your eyelid turns inward or hangs away from your eye.
If your eye doesn't hurt and your eyesight hasn't changed, a red eye is usually harmless and will go away on its own within a few days.
What can you do yourself if you have a red eye?
- Do not wear contact lenses.
- Do not rub your eyes.
When to seek medical advice?
Contact a family doctor in the following cases:
- Your eye is still red after a few days.
Contact your family doctor immediately in the following cases:
- Your eye is red and hurts.
- You have a red eye and wear contact lenses.
When to seek medical advice immediately?
Get medical help right away if you have a red eye AND:
- perceive changes in your eyesight (e.g. wavy lines, blinking, loss of vision)
- are sensitive to light
- the colour of the eye is very dark red
- have a severe headache and feel sick
- injured your eye or have something stuck in your eye (e.g. a piece of glass)