{"id":1939,"date":"2026-10-20T08:53:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/conditions\/red-eyes-causes-and-treatment\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:58:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:58:53","slug":"red-eyes-causes-and-treatment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/conditions\/red-eyes-causes-and-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye Redness: Causes of Red Eyes, Treatment and When to Worry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
  1. Home<\/a><\/li>
  2. Knowledge centre<\/a><\/li>
  3. Eye conditions & symptoms A\u2013Z<\/a><\/li>
  4. Eye Redness: Causes of Red Eyes, Treatment and When to Worry<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Eye Redness: Causes of Red Eyes, Treatment and When to Worry<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \"Close-up<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Eye redness happens when the blood vessels on the surface of the eye widen or leak. The most common causes are a burst blood vessel, conjunctivitis, dry eyes and eyelid inflammation (blepharitis), and many of them clear up on their own. Redness with pain, light sensitivity, a drop in vision or contact lens wear needs same-day assessment, because inflammation inside the eye, a corneal infection or acute glaucoma can look similar. Our cornea and uveitis specialist, Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer, and our other two surgeons treat the conditions behind persistent red eyes.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    \n\t\t

    What causes red eyes?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    Red eyes are caused by the blood vessels of the eye’s surface becoming enlarged, inflamed or broken. Most causes are minor, but a few are serious, and the way to tell them apart is the pattern: is the eye painful, is the vision blurred, is there discharge, and is the redness patchy or all over?<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    Here are the most common causes of redness in the eye, with the signs the NHS and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) use to describe them:<\/p>

    Cause<\/th>What you notice<\/th>Usually<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Burst blood vessel (subconjunctival haemorrhage)<\/th>A bright red patch on the white of the eye<\/td>Harmless; heals on its own<\/td><\/tr>
    Conjunctivitis (“pink eye”)<\/th>Red eyes, gritty or burning feeling, watering, sticky discharge<\/td>Usually better within a couple of weeks<\/td><\/tr>
    Dry eyes<\/th>Sore, gritty, red, blurry eyes; sometimes watering<\/td>Long-term; managed with lubricants and eyelid care<\/td><\/tr>
    Blepharitis (inflamed eyelid edges)<\/th>Itchy, sore, crusted eyelids; flakes at the lash roots<\/td>Comes and goes; daily lid cleaning<\/td><\/tr>
    Ingrowing eyelash or eyelid problem<\/th>Feeling of something in the eye; swollen or twitching lids<\/td>Needs a check if it persists<\/td><\/tr>
    Allergy<\/th>Itchy, red, watery eyes<\/td>Not contagious; allergy drops and avoiding the trigger<\/td><\/tr>
    Scleritis and uveitis<\/th>Painful red eye, light sensitivity, blurred vision<\/td>Urgent<\/strong>: needs prompt specialist treatment<\/td><\/tr>
    Corneal infection (keratitis), especially with contact lenses<\/th>Pain, redness, light sensitivity<\/td>Urgent<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    Acute angle-closure glaucoma<\/th>Intense eye pain, red eye, rainbow-coloured circles around lights, nausea<\/td>Emergency<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    If you are asking “why are my eyes red?”, the sections below take the common causes one by one, then explain which signs mean you should not wait.<\/p><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    What is the cause of blood in the eye (a burst blood vessel)?<\/h2><\/div>

    A bright red patch of blood on the white of the eye is almost always a subconjunctival haemorrhage: a small blood vessel has broken and blood has leaked between the clear surface layer (the conjunctiva) and the white of the eye (the sclera). The AAO describes it as usually harmless and often healing on its own. Blood in the eyeball like this looks alarming, yet it is trapped under the surface layer.<\/p>\n

    What causes blood vessels to burst in the eye?<\/strong> According to the AAO:<\/p>\n