Sore eyes
Sore eyes aren’t uncommon. Typical irritants that often cause mild soreness in the eyes include:
- overexposure to electronic screens
- exposure to sun
- exposure to airborne irritants
- excessive rubbing
- contact lenses
- swimming in chlorinated water
- cigarette smoke
Severely sore eyes
If your eyes severely sore or painful, it might be a sign of a more serious condition, such as:
- dry eyes
- allergies
- dehydration
- conjunctivitis (pink eye)
- blepharitis
- iritis
- scleritis
- keratitis
- uveitis
- optic neuritis
- blocked tear duct
- chalazion
- corneal abrasion
- foreign object in eye
- glaucoma
Don’t take chances with your eyes and ignore symptoms. Visit your eye doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment started.
Home remedies for sore eyes
There are a number of simple home remedies for sore eyes. Here are a few of them:
Cold compress
Place a cold washcloth over your closed eyes two to three times a day for five minutes at a time to manage pain and swelling.
Castor oil
Eye drops containing castor oil may help reduce eye irritation. Place one drop in each eye before going to bed, and then do it again in the morning. Try Refresh Optive Advanced eye drops.
Aloe vera
Because of aloe vera’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, some natural healers recommend using it to alleviate sore eyes.
Mix 1 teaspoon of fresh aloe vera gel into 2 tablespoons of cold water, and then soak cotton rounds in the mixture. Place the soaked cotton rounds on your closed eyes for 10 minutes. Do this twice a day.
When to see your doctor
When experiencing eye pain, make an appointment with your doctor if:
- You’ve recently had eye surgery.
- You’ve recently had an eye injection.
- You’ve had eye surgery in the past.
- You wear contact lenses.
- You have a weakened immune system.
- You’ve been taking eye medication for two or three days and the pain hasn’t improved.
Some symptoms need immediate medical attention. Seek emergency medical help if:
- Your pain was caused by a foreign object hitting or been lodged in your eye.
- Your pain was caused by a chemical being splashed in your eye.
- Your eye pain is accompanied by fever, headache, or unusual light sensitivity.
- You have a sudden vision change.
- You start seeing halos around lights.
- Your eye is swelling, or there’s swelling around your eye.
- You’re unable to keep your eye open.
- You’re having trouble moving your eye.
- You have blood or pus coming from your eye(s).
