Red eyelid - this may be the cause
What is a red eyelid?
A red eyelid is characterized by its red to pink or purple color. Often there is also itching and swelling of the eyelid. Depending on the cause of the redness, the eyelid can also be painful.
A red eyelid is often a cosmetic or visual problem. It can also become inflamed and, if there is swelling, limit the person's field of vision. As soon as a red eyelid becomes symptomatic, i.e. causes discomfort, it should be treated.
causes
There can be many different causes behind a red eyelid.
First of all, inflammation of the edge of the eyelid or conjunctivitis causes reddening of the eyelid. These inflammations are infectious diseases that are triggered bacterially or virally. The pathogens spread by smear infection, i.e. they are spread through human contact, e.g. Shaking hands and then rubbing the eye, transferred. You should avoid contact between your hands and eyes, as this not only infects other people, but can also transfer the inflammation to the other eye.
So-called stye can also cause reddening of the eyelid. Yesterday's grain is a bacterial infection of certain eye glands, the meibomian or Zeis glands on the edge of the eyelid. So the sweat and sebum glands of the eye are affected. This infection is accompanied by redness, swelling and pain, and a pus-filled cavity is created in the eyelid. Usually, barley grains are harmless and the immune system clears them without any problems within a few days without the need for treatment. It is also important not to mess around with yesterday's grain. This increases the risk of spreading the infection to the conjunctiva and, in the worst case, causing an eyelid abscess. However, if barley grains appear conspicuously often, this indicates a weakened immune system.
Another cause of a red eyelid can be neurodermatitis. This is typically accompanied by dry and itchy skin. Many atopic dermatitis patients are familiar with these symptoms from different skin regions; they occur particularly frequently in the neck area, face, elbows and hollows of the knees. But there are also people who only develop milder neurodermatitis symptoms in particularly stressful situations in which the immune system is particularly stressed. This then often occurs around the eyes and thus also affects the eyelids. Since the itching triggers a vicious circle that leads to scratching and swelling and sore skin, those affected should absolutely avoid scratching their eyes. In this way, infections of the eye can also be avoided. Applying moisturizing creams to the skin also often helps to help the sores heal quickly.
allergy
Many allergy sufferers struggle with red, puffy and itchy eyes, especially in spring. The pollen and grasses that bloom in spring get into the eyes and airways of patients through the air, causing an allergic reaction. This varies in severity for everyone and affects the patient to different degrees. If the allergic reactions in the eye cause massive discomfort, eye drops can be prescribed to alleviate the symptoms. If you suffer from such complaints, please consult your doctor.
You may also be interested in the following article: hay fever.
diagnosis
A doctor can make a reliable diagnosis of what is behind a red eye. A precise description of the symptoms and the duration of the complaints usually helps enormously in filtering out the most likely diagnosis. So speak to your family doctor if you have any complaints. He will then surely be able to help you.
Concomitant symptoms
Redness of the eyelid is often associated with swelling, itching, and pain, depending on the cause. These symptoms may or may not all be present at the same time.
- If the eyes are red, swollen and watery, this indicates conjunctivitis. In this case, the eyelids are also often crusted in the morning.
- Swelling and itching are common symptoms of an allergy.
- Pain, itching and dry skin occur predominantly with neurodermatitis.
- Swelling, redness, and pain can indicate the development of a stye.
But here, too, it is true that individual symptom constellations can occur for everyone and the diagnosis can only be made by a doctor.
Red eyelid with swelling
Since reddening of the eye often occurs due to inflammation, swelling of the eyelid is associated with it in many cases. The reddening is caused by the increased blood flow to the inflamed tissue: This allows more immune cells to reach the inflamed area and fight the pathogens. These cells increasingly release inflammatory mediators. These are substances that convey certain signals in the body. They also ensure that the vessels become more permeable - so more fluid gets into the tissue. This creates the swelling.
This brief explanation of what goes on during inflammation makes it clear that they occur to fight the pathogens and ensure a quick recovery. In the course of this, the symptoms in many cases subside on their own after a few days.
Red eye burns
Redness of the eyelid can also be accompanied by a painful burning sensation. If this is the case, it could be caused by a foreign body or irritating substances, such as soap, that accidentally got into your eyes.
It can also happen that the lens slips on contact lens wearers. In this case, there is often burning and tearing of the eye. If you remove the lens, the symptoms usually go away.
therapy
Therapy for a red eyelid depends on its cause.
If conjunctivitis is present, your family doctor will prescribe eye ointments or eye drops with antibacterial or antiviral active ingredients if the symptoms have not subsided after a few days.
Eye drops are also used in an allergic reaction, but these contain an antihistamine, an antiallergenic drug.
In the case of neurodermatitis, greasy, moisturizing creams are used to prevent an acute attack. These often contain glycerine and / or urea, which ensure that moisture is bound to the skin. However, if the patient is in an acute atopic dermatitis attack, the eyes can swell so that their vision is impaired. In this case, the dermatologist prescribes a cortisone cream, which quickly counteracts the swelling. Cortisone creams should only be used in exceptional situations and should never be applied daily!
In order to achieve the best possible therapy for your neurodermatitis, please speak to your dermatologist.
Which home remedies can help?
The choice of home remedies also depends on the cause of the red eyelid.
Tried and tested home remedies for conjunctivitis are quark compresses, eyebright and calendula.
Quark wraps have a pleasantly cooling and decongestant effect. Care should be taken not to get curd cheese in the eyes, as this will worsen the inflammation.
You can make tea from eyebright and calendula and treat your eyes with compresses soaked in tea.
Chamomile tea is also often recommended as a home remedy for eye infections. Recently, however, the use of chamomile has tended to be discouraged as it can cause allergic reactions.
There are numerous recommendations for home remedies for atopic dermatitis, such as apple cider vinegar, healing earth or St. John's wort.
On our side Home remedies for atopic dermatitis you will find comprehensive information on this.
Red eyelid in the baby
The same causes of reddened eyelids occur in infants as in adults.
Conjunctivitis is a particularly common disease in infancy and childhood. This is because babies and children touch all kinds of objects and put them in their mouths. As a result, bacterial and viral infections, as well as conjunctivitis, spread particularly quickly in day nurseries and daycare centers. For this reason, it is important not to send children with conjunctivitis to daycare for a few days in order to avoid infecting other children.
Conjunctivitis in babies usually heals on its own within a week.In complicated or long-lasting cases, eye drops or eye ointments that contain an antibiotic and thus fight the inflammation can also be prescribed.
You can find comprehensive information on the topic on the main page "Baby conjunctivitis".
In babies with neurodermatitis, like in adults, greasy creams are also used to protect dry skin.
In babies, the red eyelid can also be caused by an incompletely opened tear and nasal duct. As a result, the tear fluid cannot drain into the throat, but clogs the duct and oozes out through the eye. The result is inflammation and swelling of the entire eye, as it cannot be rinsed with tear fluid and as a result more bacteria can colonize the eye. Since the tears and nasal ducts in the vast majority of infants widen on their own after a few weeks, this condition does not initially require any special therapy. You can clean the baby's eye regularly and carefully with a disposable washcloth and lukewarm water in the direction of the nose. An ophthalmological evaluation is necessary if the baby's eye is very painful and inflamed.
Babies can also suffer from allergic reactions in the eye. Here, too, the pediatrician or ophthalmologist will prescribe eye drops. It is important to make sure that the baby does not rub the eye, as this can trigger additional inflammation of the eye.
A lot of other important information can be found in the article "Reddened eyes in toddlers and babies".
