Bloodshot Eyes

Key takeaways

• Bloodshot eyes happen when the blood vessels in your eyes get larger causing irritation and redness in your eyes.
• Allergies, pink eye, dry eye, eye or face injuries, glaucoma, extensive screen time or wearing contact lenses for a long time can cause bloodshot eyes.
• Treatment options may include eye drops, cool compresses, rest, washing your eyelids, ointments and prescription medications.

Overview

What are bloodshot eyes?

Bloodshot eyes happen when the blood vessels in your eye become more noticeable, larger or inflamed. Your eyes might not feel any different. Your vision usually looks the same. You might feel minor irritation or notice some redness.

Bloodshot eyes can range in severity. The condition is usually minor and doesn't cause any harm. However, sometimes it can also cause pain or vision issues. This might happen if you have another health condition that's causing red eyes.

Some other symptoms that can accompany bloodshot eyes include:

• Itching
• Swelling
• Pain
• Eye discharge
• Watering
• Sensitivity to light
• Vision changes

Other names for eye twitching

Red eye

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Possible Causes

What can cause bloodshot eyes?

Knowing what causes bloodshot eyes can help you treat the condition or prevent it in the future. Redness often comes with irritation. This could be due to your activities, such as drinking alcohol, being near smoky environments or staring at a screen for a long time.

Red eyes can also be a symptom of some medical conditions. Some common causes of bloodshot eyes include:

• Allergies
• Pink eye
• Eye dryness
• Injury to your eye or face
• Extended contact wear
• Blepharitis

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Treatment & management

How can bloodshot eyes be treated?

It is important to work with a health care provider to determine the cause of your bloodshot eyes so that it can be treated appropriately. Changes to your habits might help or you might need to treat an underlying condition. Some treatment options that can help soothe symptoms include:

• Rest
• Washing your eyes to remove irritants
• Cool compresses
• Over-the-counter eye drops
• Prescription eye drops or ointment
• Controlling allergies
• Limited time wearing contact lenses
• Breaks from screen time
• Massaging eyelids

MinuteClinic offers a variety of services that can help with diagnosis and treatment.

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When to seek medical care

Go to the hospital or call 911 if:

• Have sudden, severe changes in your vision
• Experience a severe headache
• Had chemicals splashed into your eyes (which caused the redness)
• Can't open your eye

Contact your provider if:

• The redness lasts longer than a few days.
• Your symptoms are getting worse.
• You have a young child with red eyes.
• You also have pain or discharge.
• You have other symptoms, such as fever.

In general, if you are concerned about your bloodshot eyes, seek care with a health care provider. You can find a variety of services at a MinuteClinic near you.

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This material is for reference only and should not be used to determine treatment for specific medical conditions.

Please visit a healthcare provider for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of any symptoms you may be experiencing. If you're experiencing a medical emergency, please dial 911 or visit your local Emergency Department.

References used as sources for this page

1. Red Eye. Source from Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/17690-red-eye. Accessed on May 2023.
2. Red Eye. Source from Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/red-eye/basics/definition/sym-20050748. Accessed on May 2023.

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