A stinging grainy feeling may accompany burns to the eyes. Along with additional symptoms like puffiness and discharge, the whites of your eyes may appear red or pink. While lubricating eye drops, both prescription and over-the-counter can relieve stinging you may want to try one of these natural home remedies first. Continue reading to discover how items from your kitchen or medicine cabinet can put out the burn.
Burning Eyes Causes
Future issues might be avoided by being aware of the root cause. The following are some conditions of the eye that can cause burn or sting.
Eye Inflammation
When you have blepharitis, your eyelids get inflamed. An obstructed oil gland can bring this condition on at the base of your lashes. Flaking around the eyes watery eyes itchy eyelids sensitivity to light and possible eyelash loss are other accompanying symptoms. Although blepharitis is not contagious, it can develop into a chronic illness.
Dry Eyes
Inadequate lubrication exacerbates dry eyes. Besides burning, this also results in mucus around the eyes light sensitivity, eye fatigue and redness in the eyes. Wearing contact lenses can be uncomfortable for some people with dry eyes depending on how bad it is. Various things can bring dry eyes. These include being near smoke or the wind having allergies and using a computer. Antihistamines decongestants, antidepressants and certain medical conditions like arthritis can also cause dry eyes.
Allergy Symptoms
Allergies to smoke dust dander and pollen can cause burning eyes. You might feel other allergy-related symptoms in addition to eye pain. These symptoms include sneezing runny nose, watery eyes coughing, and sore throat.
Blindness Caused By Snow (Photokeratitis)
Sunburn on the eyes can result from prolonged exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. This may result in headaches' redness burning sensitivity to light blurry vision and transient loss of vision.
Rosacea Of The Eyes
Eye burning itching and redness are also symptoms of this condition that cause inflammation around the eyes. Eyelash mites or a blocked eyelid gland may cause this condition. Rosacea is a skin condition that can affect both those without it and those who have it. This includes eyes.
The Surfer's Eye Is Pterygium
A lump appears on the eyeball when pterygium occurs. It can occasionally infiltrate the cornea and obstruct vision. Surfer's eye is a benign growth but it can cause a range of symptoms, including burning eyes and the impression that something is foreign in the eyes. The growth may grow back even after a doctor removes it surgically.
Pink Eye Or Conjunctivitis
This is a reference to inflammation of the conjunctiva, the clear tissue that covers the white portion of the eye. A bacterial or viral infection is the common cause of conjunctivitis. Sensitivity to smoke pollen or chemicals can also result in the development of pink eye.
Eye Fatigue
You may have eye strain if after gazing at a bright computer screen, your eyes burn. Additional indications encompass diplopia ocular discharge xerostomia and photosensitivity. Long-distance driving and exposure to dry air can also cause eye strain.
The Diagnosis Of Burned Eyes
A few small changes and at-home treatments can help relieve eye burning. A visit to an optometrist or ophthalmologist is recommended if symptoms worsen or persist. If you experience other symptoms besides burning eyes, you should visit a physician. These consist of:
- floaters in the eyes.
- Seeing double.
- blurry vision.
- A discharge from the eyes.
Have answers ready for inquiries regarding other symptoms and your medical history. To look for any physical signs of an eye condition, you'll also have a thorough eye examination. A physician may examine the tissue in your eyes and the internal structure of your eyes using a bright light and a magnification device. To detect vision loss, you can also take a visual acuity test. Additionally, to test for bacteria, fungi or allergies, your doctor might remove a fluid sample if you have crusting or discharge around your eyes. A physician can also use the Schirmer test to assess tear production.
Why Are My Eyes Burning And Watery?
Tears that are not going away or that the body is generating more than usual can both cause burning watery eyes. Dry eye allergies could bring this on, clogged tear ducts and other conditions. Epiphora is the medical word for teary eyes. Tears can overflow onto the face when there is an excess of fluid or when the nasolacrimal system cannot properly drain tears. Although epiphora can occur at any age it is more frequently observed in infants and elderly people. One or both eyes may be impacted. It is treatable though. Continue reading to find out the causes symptoms home remedies and medical advice for watering eyes.
Reasons For Burning Watery Eyes
Watering eyes can have three main causes, according to Trusted Source.
- Clogged tear ducts stop the flow of tears.
- Reflex tearing which occurs when the body sheds tears in reaction to another stimulus like an irritant.
- An uncommon but excessive tear production.
Blocked Tear Ducts
The eye's tear ducts are in charge of releasing tear production. They might not function as they should if they are overly limited, undeveloped, or blocked. Some people are born with underdeveloped tear ducts. Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) is the term for this condition, which is frequently observed. Usually, within a few months, it goes away on its own. The tear ducts may be too narrow or obstructed in adults and older children. It is possible for inflammation or scarring to cause narrowed tear ducts. Besides watering one or both eyes the following symptoms could be present if inflammation is the cause.
- Hazy vision.
- Enlargement.
- Tightness around the eyelids.
- Redness in the eyes.
When exposed to cold weather or wind, the symptoms might get. Tears will pool in the tear sac rather than drain away if the tear ducts are constricted or obstructed. Stagnant tears increase infection risk in the tear sac. The eye will release a sticky fluid if this happens. Inflammation near the eye on the side of the nose can also result from infection.
Tearing Reflexively
The temporary overproduction of tears in the eyes as a reaction to something else is known as reflex tearing. For instance, a person may have watery eyes when they laugh, yawn or vomit. While this is normal and not a reason for alarm, if the watering persists there might be an issue. This might entail:
- Irritants: Watering of the eyes can be caused by irritation from onions smoke, cold air and chemical fumes. This may assist in removing the irritant.
- Foreign objects or injuries: Grit dirt or eyelashes can all get inside the eye and cause watering. If the object irritates the eye it may persist for a longer period even though the watering occasionally aids in its removal. Watering may continue until the ingrowing lash also known as trichiasis is removed.
- Infection: There are numerous forms of eye infections such as keratitis and infective conjunctivitis which can result in pink eye. The lumps on the eyelid known as chalazion or stye are caused by obstructions in the hair follicles or oil glands surrounding the eye. They can also cause watering of the eyes.
- Allergies: When an allergen comes into contact with the eye allergic conjunctivitis develops causing swelling and tears.
- Dry eye: An imbalance between the amounts of mucus oil and water in tears can occur in certain people. This could impede the uniform distribution of fluids throughout the eye resulting in dry areas that become uncomfortable and inflamed.
- Ectropion: The lower eyelid's outward turn is a characteristic of this condition. As a result, the eye becomes dry and produces more tears because a portion of it is exposed to the air.
- Other conditions: The eyes may also experience inflammation and tears because of certain autoimmune diseases and skin disorders. Symptoms like redness swelling, itching blurred vision pain and increased sensitivity to light may coexist with an overproduction of tears brought on by irritation, depending on the underlying cause.
Excessive Tear Production
Watering eyes are a sign of excessive tear production. This may occur if there is a malfunction in the nerves that regulate the production of tears.
Remedies For Eyes Burning
Burning can cause the inability to read, see or even open or stinging in your eyes. Try these at-home natural remedies for quick relief:
- Use moderately warm water to rinse your eyelids. Rinsing your eyes can help reduce inflammation and dryness by clearing them of allergens and irritants.
- Several times a day soak a cloth in warm water and then place the warm compress over closed eyes for a short while.
- Combine a tiny bit of baby shampoo with warm water. Cleanse the base of your lashes with a cotton swab that has been dipped into water. This process reduces inflammation and clears clogged oil glands.
- To make your eyes wetter and less dry, drink more water. Dry eyes can bring eye irritation burning and stinging on.
Give your eyes a rest by stepping away from the computer. Long periods of intense computer screen staring can irritate and burn the eyes.
- Put on sunglasses to shield the wind and sun from your eyes.
- Consume more omega-3 fatty acids to reduce burning and dry eyes. Omega-3-rich foods include anchovies, sardines tuna and salmon. If you're a vegetarian or vegan you can also get omega-3s from flaxseeds. If you're not sure if supplements are right for you, see a doctor.
- If you want to relieve dry eyes and add moisture to the air run a humidifier.
- To lessen irritation burning puffiness and swelling place cucumber slices over the afflicted eye.
How To Cure Burning Watery Eyes
Whether additional symptoms are present, the severity of the symptoms and the cause all influence how watery eyes are treated. In mild cases, doctors might advise waiting to take further action and instead tracking the patient's progress. It could be necessary to seek treatment if the symptoms do not go away on their own or get worse. Each cause of watery eyes has a distinct set of treatment options which include:
- Irritants: Using protective gear when handling chemicals and smoke, avoiding the irritants or washing the eyes with clean water are some ways to treat eye irritation.
- Infections: Doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat bacterial conjunctivitis while viral conjunctivitis usually goes better without treatment.
- Foreign objects: The doctor will extract any foreign object stuck in the eye such as an eyelash that is growing inward.
- Blocked tear ducts: The physician may use a probe to enlarge the narrow drainage channels on the inside of one or both eyes if they are not completely blocked. Surgery can make a new channel from the tear sac to the inside of the nose if they are blocked. As a result, the tear ducts obstructed section is avoided by the tears. A dacryocystorhinostomy is the name given to this surgical technique.
- Ectropion: If the patient's eyelid turns outward, surgery may be necessary to tighten the tendon holding the eyelid in place. One or both eyelids may be impacted by this condition.
Bottom Line
Even though burning eyes might be unpleasant, numerous natural treatments can reduce discomfort and offer prompt relief. However, depending on how bad your burning is, you might need to use medicated eye drops or prescription medication. Don't disregard your ocular problems if they don't improve. You may be suffering from a more serious eye condition than what you think is just a little irritation.