How to Tell If the Eye Is Irritated
Common causes of eye irritation include allergies, air pollutants, fatigue, medications, dryness and infection. In appearance, the eyes may be red, swollen, itchy, blurry and watery. Blurry vision, burning and sensitivity to light are all common symptoms of irritated eyes. Monitoring the eyes daily for such symptoms and side effects, and noticing how the eyes respond to water-flushing treatment can help you determine if you may be suffering from irritated eyes.
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Instructions
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Keeping An Eye Open
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Monitor the eyes. Create a one-week daily schedule for monitoring irritated eye symptoms. The schedule should include Monday through Sunday, three time intervals per day (morning, afternoon, night) and a minimum of two lines beneath each time interval to record irritated eye symptoms. Dedicate one blank page entitled, "Possible Causes of Eye Irritation" to outdoor and indoor situations that may have exposed your eyes to irritation.
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Record the morning check-up. On the two lines given, record symptoms and appearance of the eyes. If eyes are slightly red, yet possess no symptoms such as burning, blurry vision or light sensitivity, record the redness and make notation that your eyes did not experience symptoms. If your eyes are extremely red (red pigment overpowering the white areas of the eyes), and you experience symptoms such as blurred vision, burning or light sensitivity, record this data in the morning-time interval section. The eye's response to water flushing treatment may also be included in this section (see Water Flushing Guide) for proper instruction. Repeat the morning checkup routine for afternoon and nighttime intervals. Recording the symptoms and appearance of the eyes can help determine how often the eye appears irritated.
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Keep track of what you do. On the blank page entitled, "Possible Causes of Eye Irritation," construct a list of causes and activities you have experienced or participated in during the course of the week that could result in irritated eyes. Examples of activities and causes include not receiving enough sleep, being outdoors during allergy season, excessive rubbing of eyes, cigarette smoke, etc. These activities are factors for eye irritation that should be experienced in moderation. This list will help assess your daily routine and exposure level to particles and substances that cause eye irritation.
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Examine the one-week schedule and "Possible Causes of Eye Irritation" list. Tally how many days the eye appeared irritated and experienced symptoms. If the eye consecutively experienced redness and symptoms (three days in a row), the eye is obviously irritated. If the eye appeared red and experienced little to no symptoms every two to three days, it may be environmental or activity exposure that triggers faint redness of the eyes.
Water Flushing Guide
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Cleanse the hands thoroughly with an anti-bacterial soap. This will eliminate the possibility of transferring harmful particles to the eye while flushing.
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Flush the eyes with cool water. With open eyes, splash the cool water into your eyes for a minimum two minutes. Flushing the eye with cool water allows particles from the environment to become dislodged from the eye or corner of the eye that may be resulting in irritation and redness.
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Repeat this process three times daily (morning, afternoon, night) for one week. If the eye appears red and experiences symptoms mentioned above, the eye is irritated and calls for medication or medical attention.
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Tips & Warnings
Over-the-counter eye drops are available at your local supermarket. Eye drops may have side effects. Consumer discretion is advised until contacting your local ophthalmologist.
Always consult your local ophthalmologist if eye irritation is suspected. While techniques suggested above are not harmful, they only suggest proper assessment skills for discovering eye irritation, not treatment. Eye irritation can be from the environment and pollutants, as well as indicate serious infection. Only an ophthalmologist can correctly diagnose eye irritation and proper treatment based on your current health condition. Visit an ophthalmologist immediately if blurry vision, redness, burning and itching symptoms persist after two weeks. Failure to do so may result in serious infection that may damage your eyesight.
