Alternate Names: Bloodshot eyes; Scleral injection; Conjunctival injection; Red eye(s)

Considerations: Bloodshot eyes appear red because the vessels in the surface of the white portion of the eye (sclera) become enlarged. This may result from mechanical irritation, environmental factors such as extremely dry air, sunburned sclera, allergic reactions, infection, and other medical conditions.

A bright red, uniformly dense bloody area on the sclera results from a small amount of bleeding into the sclera. It is often first noted in the morning on arising. This is a fairly common occurrence and of little significance. If upon awakening in the morning, you notice a bloody blotch in one eye that doesn’t hurt but just looks bad, don’t worry. It is usually due to eyestrain or fatigue, and it generally clears up on its own after a few days.

Common Causes:

• eyestrain
• fatigue
• blepharitis
• foreign bodies in the cornea and conjunctiva
• conjunctivitis
• corneal abrasion
• corneal ulcers and infections
• iritis
• ocular lacerations and intraocular foreign bodies
• uveitis

Home Care: For fatigue or eyestrain, try to rest; no treatment is necessary. Otherwise, see your primary health care provider or an ophthalmologist for medical treatment.

If conjunctivitis is suspected or confirmed, avoid touching the infected eye and then rubbing the other eye--this condition is very contagious.

Call If:

• bloodshot eyes persists for longer than one or two days.
• there is unexplained eye pain and vision problems.

What To Expect: The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting eye redness in detail may include:

• location
  • Are both eyes affected?
  • If only one eye, which one?
  • What part of the eye is affected--all of the white part, or just a small location?
• time pattern
  • Did it begin suddenly?
  • Has it ever happened before?
  • Does it persist?
• other
  • Does it get worse after movement of the eyes?
  • What other symptoms are also present?