Chesterfield Delivery Pharmacy

A red eye is usually nothing to worry about and often gets better on its own. But sometimes it can be more serious and you’ll need to get medical help.

COMMON CAUSES OF A RED EYE

Lots of different things can cause a red eye. Your symptoms might give you an idea of what’s causing it.

SYMPTOMS	POSSIBLE CAUSES
Bright red area in the white of your eye	burst blood vessel
Gritty or burning feeling, sticky eyes	conjunctivitis
Sore, blurry or watery eyes	dry eyes
Itchy, sore or red eyelids	blepharitis
Feels like there’s something in your eye	ingrowing eyelashes
Swollen, drooping or twitching eyelid, or a lump on your eyelid	eyelid problems

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A RED EYE

If your eye does not hurt and your sight is not affected, it’s probably nothing serious. It may get better on its own in a few days. Until it has got better:

try not to touch or rub your eye
do not wear contact lenses

YOU CAN ASK A PHARMACIST IF:

there’s anything you can do to treat your eye yourself
you can buy anything to help, such as cleaning solutions or eyedrops
you need to see a GP

SEE A GP IF:

your eye is not any better after a few days
your child is under 2 years old

If your GP cannot find what’s causing your red eye, they may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for tests.

ASK FOR AN URGENT GP APPOINTMENT OR CALL 111 IF:

your baby has red eyes and they’re less than 28 days old
your eye is painful and red
you have a red eye and wear contact lenses – you could have an eye infection

CALL 999 OR GO TO A&E IF YOU HAVE A RED EYE AND:

you have any changes to your sight, like wavy lines, flashing or loss of vision
it hurts to look at light
you have a severe headache and feel sick
your eye or eyes are very dark red
you have injured or pierced your eye
something is stuck in your eye (like a piece of glass or grit)

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