Allergies

Another reason for reddened eyes can be allergies. However, the redness always occurs in both eyes, as both eyes are equally affected. Especially in spring and summer, when the first early bloomers begin to bloom, one can often observe a real “wave of allergies”.

Here it is already helpful to seek out a closed room that is shielded from pollen. Cellar rooms are particularly suitable for this. Here you will also find the necessary coolness and peace, which helps to alleviate the symptoms.

Cooling compresses can also be put on the reddened eyes to help. Antiallergics, i.e. drugs that dampen the excessive immune reaction in allergies, can also help prevent them. The disadvantage of antiallergics is that they all cause more or less severe fatigue.

In the long run, only desensitization against the corresponding allergens helps. This can be carried out by a dermatologist, but several sessions over a longer period are necessary. More and more children and even infants are also affected by this, since it is becoming less and less common for them to become naturally and sufficiently accustomed to the allergens. This is particularly due to the shift of leisure activities from nature to closed rooms.

One-sided reddened eye

A unilaterally reddened eye speaks against an allergic event, since both eyes usually burn, itch, and are reddened. The causes for a unilateral redness of one eye can be manifold. Excessive rubbing can cause redness of the eye, as can a foreign body.In the simplest case, you have received a ball or a blow to the eye during sports.

Insects can also fly into the eye while cycling and cause redness – all these are not serious events, as the eye usually recovers completely within one or two days. Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva) can also have other causes, however. The simplex form is caused by dry air, dust and smoke and subsides on its own after a few days of rest.

The situation is different with infections with bacteria that settle in the eye and lead to redness. These can also occur unilaterally and make treatment with antibiotics necessary. They are then applied in the form of antibiotic-containing eye drops or eye ointments.

A more serious complication is the so-called sinus-cavernosus fistula. The sinus cavernosus is a network of veins in the brain that collects blood from the eyes. In a sinus cavernosus fistula, a vascular connection is formed between one of the brain‘s arteries and the sinus cavernosus.

This should actually drain the blood and return it to the heart. However, due to the pathological connection to the arterial hypertension system, there is a congestion in the affected eye and thus reddening. In affected patients, a regular pulsation of the eye can often be perceived.

The therapy consists of microsurgical closure of the vascular connection or – more frequently – embolization, i.e. artificial “blockage”. Headaches can be a serious complication in combination with a reddened eye: Severe, sudden headaches with loss of vision can be indicative of acute glaucoma (also called “glaucoma”), although the eye would not necessarily be reddened. However, the chronic form of glaucoma may be accompanied by redness, headache and progressive loss of visual field.

Glaucoma is an ophthalmologic emergency, as it can cause irreversible damage to the eye. The longer you wait with the treatment, the higher the chance of permanent blindness! The therapeutic goal is the immediate reduction of the intraocular pressure, which can be achieved by medication or surgery.

However, headaches do not always have to be caused by glaucoma. Headaches and reddened eyes in combination can also occur with Horton’s disease, also called “giant cell arteritis“. In this case, there are drilling pains at the temple, which are also noticeable when chewing.

It is an inflammation of the temporal artery, which causes severe headaches. If an ophthalmic artery is also affected by the inflammation, visual disturbances, reddening and short-term complete loss of vision (“amaurosis fugax”) may occur. In acute cases, the inflammation is treated with high-dose glucocorticoids, which usually helps quickly. Temporal arteritis is also not to be taken lightly; untreated, about 20-30% of patients go blind.