Three Reasons Why The Whites Of Your Eyes May Be Pink Or Red
by Julia Gregory
When you see that the white part of one of your eyes is pink, you may think it is pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is easily treated with eye drops or gels, but there are many other things that can cause your eye to turn pink. The following guide walks you through a few other things that can cause the white part of your eye to turn pink or red.
Eye Strain
Working on the computer for hours on end or reading excessively can cause your eyes to become strained and the whites to become red. When you work on the computer or read a book, you often keep your eyes open for longer than you do when you are not focusing on the small letters. When your eyes stay open longer, they tend to become dryer because you are not blinking as often as you normally do. It is important to give your eyes a break from staring at the small print on a computer screen or in a book for a couple of times throughout the day. Just a brief few minutes of rest can make a huge difference in the strain your eyes experience.
Swimming
While you may know that chlorine in a pool can dry out your eyes and cause them to become red, you may not realize that bacteria in water can also cause an eye infection to develop and redness to ensue. It is important to pay attention to your eyes after swimming in a pool, lake, river, or pond to ensure that your eyes do not become red or swollen as these are signs of infection.
Ocular Herpes
Another less common cause of eye redness is ocular herpes. Ocular herpes comes and goes and causes the whites of the eyes to become very red and the eyes to become extremely itchy. Ocular herpes is passed through the sharing of eye makeup, eyeglasses, and even sunglasses. There are treatments that can be given to lessen the duration of an outbreak, but ocular herpes can never be cured completely. It will come back after now and again in your life if you have it.
If you notice any redness in your eye, it is best to go to see an optometrist right away so that he or she can diagnose the cause as soon as possible. It is possible for some of these conditions to turn into serious vision problems if they are not treated right away.
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About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.