The general concept of ocular congestion is the redness of the whites of the eyes. Redness in the whites of the eyes occurs when the blood vessels in the conjunctiva and sclera tissues become dilated and congested, bruised or bleeding under certain circumstances.
Under normal circumstances, there is no blood passing through the blood vessels of the conjunctiva, but when invaded by bacteria or viruses, the “sleeping” blood vessels are immediately “awakened” and then dilate. As a result, red blood swarms from all sides and the sclera becomes red. The most striking symptom of an inflamed eye is the redness of the eye, such as acute and chronic conjunctivitis, various types of keratitis, and chemical burns of the eye are all causes of eye congestion.
There are two types of eye congestion: superficial and deep. The former is bright red and is called “ocular congestion”; the latter is dark red and is called “ciliary congestion”. If both are present, it is called “mixed congestion”. These different conditions of congestion, in the doctor’s examination and diagnosis is very meaningful, is also an important basis for determining the severity of eye disease, but the general public is difficult to distinguish clearly.
A. What causes eye congestion
1, non-disease congestion
In fact, eye fatigue, congestion is almost an occupational disease of today’s white-collar workers, this disease is not a serious eye disease. The small beauty tip, if you need to spend a long time on the computer, we should pay attention to the reasonable arrangement of the computer time, such as working for about an hour to let the eyes rest for ten minutes.
People with farsightedness, astigmatism, although usually do not need to wear glasses, it is best to match a pair of glasses for work to reduce visual fatigue, congestion.
2.Disease congestion
Due to the different sources of blood supply to the various parts of the eye, the form of congestion in the eyes is different, and the reaction site of the lesion is also different. Therefore, ocular congestion is a common symptom shared by many eye diseases.
Acute conjunctivitis
This is a common epidemic eye disease caused by bacterial and viral infections and is highly contagious.
Symptoms: Acute onset, simultaneous or sequential onset in both eyes, stinging, itching, foreign body sensation in the affected eye, photophobia and burning sensation in severe cases, vision is generally unaffected. The eyelids are red and swollen, the conjunctiva is congested, and the discharge is mostly bacterial, mucous or purulent. The eyes are closed by secretions in the morning. The secretions of viral infections are mostly aqueous and may be accompanied by keratoconjunctival lesions, enlarged preauricular and submandibular lymph nodes, and pressure pain.
Response: Acute conjunctivitis is highly contagious and should be prevented by isolation, towels and handkerchiefs should not be used with each other, and basins should be rinsed and disinfected after use. Keep the eyes clean, rinse with water when there is a lot of secretion, and apply local antibiotics and antiviral drugs. If there are systemic symptoms such as fever and headache, it is necessary to combine with medical treatment.
Acute iridocyclitis
The cause of iridocyclitis is complex, mostly of unknown etiology, and may be related to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism as well as tuberculosis, syphilis, and viral infections.
Symptoms: ciliary congestion or mixed congestion, posterior corneal deposits, cloudy atrial fluid, swollen iris, reduced or irregular pupils, blunted light reflexes, and posterior adhesions of some iris to the lens; IOP is usually normal but sometimes increases or decreases; vision loss is accompanied by significant photophobia, tearing, and pain that may radiate to the brow arch, temporal region, and frontal region.
Response: For this group of patients, the cause of the disease should be actively sought during the illness, and then the cause should be treated. At the same time, eye drops can be used under the guidance of a doctor, and the symptoms of various discomforts can be well relieved after a period of time.
Fourth, keratitis
Most keratitis is caused by foreign infection. Minor corneal trauma is often the causative agent of infection, and the common causative agents are bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. In addition, keratitis can be caused by corneal immune insufficiency or malnutrition.
Symptoms: pain in the affected eye, foreign body sensation, eyelid spasm, photophobia, lacrimation, sudden loss of vision, etc. Different causes of keratitis have their own characteristics, but the basic symptoms are eyelid spasm and edema, marked conjunctival congestion, mixed conjunctival congestion with edema, clouding of the cornea or ulcer formation, sediment visible behind the cornea, and pus accumulation in the anterior chamber.
Response: Treatment of keratitis begins with removal of the cause. Most keratitis is caused by infection, so it is important to use the appropriate antibacterial and antiviral medications.
Doctors will make a clear diagnosis of the cause based on the clinically different characteristics of each type of keratitis, smear staining of secretions or ulcerated tissue and bacterial culture, and drug sensitivity testing. Then targeted treatment measures will be carried out.
V. Acute angle-closure glaucoma
The cause of the disease is more complex, two to four times more common in women than in men, mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly women, is a double-eye disease, and has a certain relationship with heredity. It is mainly due to the closure of the atrial angle of the eye, the obstruction of the atrial aqueous drainage pathway, and the increase of intraocular pressure.
Symptoms: eyelid and bulbar conjunctiva edema, significant mixed congestion in the bulbar conjunctiva, cloudy corneal edema, extremely shallow anterior chamber, iris edema, dilated pupils, loss of light reflex, very high intraocular pressure, which can be greater than 60 mmHg; sudden loss of vision, severe pain in the eye, ipsilateral migraine, and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting (easily misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal disease).
Response: Acute angle-closure glaucoma has a rapid onset, the condition is serious and can lead to blindness within a short period of time, so it should be rescued promptly and the IOP should be controlled within 24-48 hours if possible. In principle, the IOP should be controlled with drugs first, and surgical treatment should be used as early as possible.
VI. Subconjunctival hemorrhage
Most of them are caused by hypertensive arteriosclerosis, poor coagulation and local vascular inflammation or increased fragility, forceful breath-holding or trauma.
Symptoms: Patients generally have no discomfort and occasionally have mild soreness, often unintentionally or after bystanders notice it. Dotted or patchy hemorrhage is seen on the bulbar conjunctiva, which does not recede with pressure and is bright red when fresh or dark red in more aged cases.
Countermeasures: Cold compresses are feasible for fresh bleeding, and hot compresses are applied instead to speed up absorption after the bleeding is stabilized, which will generally subside on its own in 2 to 3 weeks. If you have high blood pressure, remember to take antihypertensive medication on time and in the right amount.
Seven, warm tips
Some people believe that the more red the eyes are, the more serious the condition is. Some people are not concerned about the redness of their eyes. In fact, it is not. Acute conjunctivitis, for example, has an acute onset and heavy congestion, but it is not a major disease, and if there are no special circumstances, it usually does not cause major problems and is relatively easy to cure.
However, in chronic iridocyclitis and glaucoma, the symptoms of congestion are not so obvious, but they are serious eye diseases that cannot be ignored. The vast majority of internal eye diseases, which do not appear to be congested, can lead to blindness.
Therefore, do not judge the severity of an eye disease solely by the severity of red eyes, or the presence or absence of eye congestion.