Swelling of the eyes

Introduction

Swelling of the eye is quite common and can have many different causes. Often swellings on one or both sides have harmless causes and disappear completely within a few hours. But there can also be serious and serious diseases behind it, which must be recognized and treated quickly and which in the worst case can even endanger the eyesight.

In most cases, swelling of the eye is painless and does not cause any further complaints. In some cases, swelling can cause limitations of the visual field. Depending on the cause, it is possible that so much pressure is exerted by this swelling that visual disturbances can also occur as a result of the swelling of the eye. If the swelling persists for a long period of time or if further symptoms are added, you should consult an ophthalmologist. and eye pain

Causes of swelling of the eyes

It is not uncommon for both eyelids to be red and swollen after getting up in the morning. The swelling is doughy and painless and is not sufficient to restrict the field of vision. After a few minutes or after a maximum of 2 hours, the swelling on the eye is reduced.

The cause lies in a quite normal (“physiological”) lowering of blood pressure at night. Due to the reduced pressure, more fluid is allowed to pass into the tissue, which is then mostly deposited in the facial area and here especially in the area of the eyes. One-sided eye swellings, on the other hand, indicate a different cause.

If unilateral eye swelling does not subside quickly, it could be a so-called conjunctivitis. This is usually caused by viruses or bacteria, or if foreign bodies such as dust etc. have entered the eye.

However, conjunctivitis is also usually associated with reddened conjunctiva, which burn and hurt. In some cases, swelling of both eyes may be caused by an allergic reaction. Especially in the spring months, in addition to the typical running nose and tears, there is often a swelling, then mostly in both eyes.

The allergic swelling is painless and usually does not cause any limitation of the visual field. Sometimes, however, rubbing or a foreign body sensation in the area of the eyelid can also occur. Since the space around the eye is very narrow, even a small swelling of the eyelid can cause an unpleasant feeling when blinking or moving the eye.

Sometimes, however, swelling of the eye can have serious causes. For example, kidney damage can be behind increasing water retention. With kidney disease, the body also receives much less protein.

This causes the pressure conditions in the body to change so that fluid from the blood is pressed into the surrounding area, which can then lead to swelling around the eyes and also around the legs. Rapid clarification and treatment is urgently needed. Dialysis is usually indicated at this stage of this disease, also known as renal insufficiency.

However, the cause of the kidney disease must be treated separately. Various eye diseases can also lead to swelling of the eyes. These include eye tumors, which can be located anywhere on the eye, and increased intraocular pressure.

While the former usually leads to a one-sided swelling, the increased intraocular pressure is always associated with a swelling of both eyes. Characteristic for a strongly increased intraocular pressure (“glaucoma“) are, besides a possible swelling of the eye, an eyeball that is hard as a board to touch and sometimes strong pain in the area of the eye. The barleycorn is also called hordeolum.

It is an inflammatory change in the sebaceous or sweat glands of the eyelid. Mostly a barleycorn appears in the area of the inner side of the eyelid or on the edge of the eyelid in the area of the eyelashes. A barleycorn makes itself noticeable by a foreign body sensation in the area of the eyelids.

Mostly a small, rough swelling can be felt and or seen. In addition to the swelling and redness of the eyelid, a reddening of the eyelid may also be present. A barleycorn usually appears suddenly and acutely.

In over 90% of cases, a barleycorn is triggered by the germ Staphylococcus aureus, a skin germ that can migrate into the sebaceous gland duct for various reasons.Among the glands affected, often infected, are the so-called meibom glands, which are sebaceous glands on the outer edges of the eyelids. Treatment is often not necessary. However, an antibiotic eye ointment or eye drops can prevent the bacteria from spreading in the area.

In the case of non-healing barley grains that are highly inflamed, it may also be necessary to puncture the barley grain with a minimal surgical procedure. This is done by the ophthalmologist using a very thin and sterile needle. Anesthesia is often not necessary.

After the incision, a usually purulent yellowish liquid is drained. The barleycorn is then emptied. However, antibiotic treatment should still be carried out in parallel so that no infection can spread after the operation.

The following antibiotic preparations are used to treat a barleycorn: effective are eye ointments or eye drops containing the active ingredient geomycin or gentamycin. The hailstone must be distinguished from the barley grain. The hailstone is a chronic, granulomatous inflammation of the meibom gland.

If it comes again and again to barley grains, the so-called lid edge hygiene should be taken care of. Obviously, in this case the bacterial load in the skin area of the eye is too high, so that infections occur again and again. Three times daily cleaning of the eyelid margins should help to prevent the germ from spreading.

A household remedy in the treatment and prevention of a barleycorn is black tea. Here, well soaked but cooled tea bags with black tea should be placed on the affected eyelid margins and dabbed. During a barleycorn infection this measure helps the barleycorn to heal faster.

Otherwise, the tea bag application can also be used preventively. If there has been a blow to the eye beforehand or if the patient has fallen, swelling of the eye can occur very often. In most cases, this swelling is then associated with a bruise (so-called eyeglass hematoma), which is circular around the eye.

The swelling of the eye should get better after an accident after a few days. In the acute phase of an eye swelling, foreign body sensation and discomfort when blinking, as well as visual disturbances can occur. However, these should then subside as the swelling subsides.

Relief would be provided by anti-inflammatory painkillers such as Ibuprofen® or Diclofenac®, which can help reduce the swelling of the eye. Even consistent cooling with an ice pack wrapped in a towel can help to prevent such a pronounced swelling of the eye in the first place. After a blow to the eye, an ophthalmologist should always be consulted.

By means of an ophthalmoscopy he will determine whether structures in the eye have been damaged or injured. Furthermore, consideration should be given to imaging the eye. In the event of a fall, an X-ray of the facial skull would be taken to determine whether the eye socket is fractured.

Furthermore, if there is insufficient decongestant swelling, an MRI of the head can also be performed to show whether structures behind the eye have been injured. Swelling of the baby’s eyes is relatively common. The most common cause of eye swelling at this age is germs that the baby has rubbed into the eye.

These are often skin or faecal germs, which can then lead to conjunctivitis. Accompanying the usually unilateral eye swelling, one would see in this case a strong tearing or a strong reddening of the eye. Another cause of a mostly unilateral eye swelling can also be retinoblastoma, which occurs in infants.

This malignant tumor, which is located on the retina, can lead to an increase in pressure in the eye, which is usually only noticed when the swelling is severe. Other causes of eye swelling in infants, as in adults, are allergic, protein-related or blood pressure-related. In babies, however, these types of causes are relatively rare compared to adults.