Page 94 - The Indian Digital Edition September-October 2020

TAKING CARE OF THE
RED EYE

yes are considered to be the windows to the health of a person.
They are the only organ in the body through which one can
Esee the status of vascular supply in the body with the help of
a non-invasive procedure. Many researchers have also alleged that
a person’s health can be assessed by merely looking at the vascular
SANJAY K MISHRA supply of the eye. Therefore, it is highly recommended to observe
SCIENTIST, DR. R. P. CENTRE FOR
OPHTHALMIC SCIENCES, AIIMS, NEW DELHI the vascular supply of the eye to explore the health condition of a
person. (figure 2).
Red-eye (figures 3 to 10) is one of the most frequently occurring
complaint of the patient. It is a condition of the eye in which the eye
appears red due to enlarged, dilated blood vessels of the outer coat of the
eyeball. i.e., conjunctiva, episclera, sclera, and the limbus. Some red-eye
conditions are non-vision threatening but, some of the conditions require
early referral to an ophthalmologist to save vision. Proper diagnosis and
management help in faster recovery of the red eye.

COMMON FACTORS CAUSING RED EYE ARE CLASSIFIED
VIKAS SHRIVASTAVA INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
ASSISTANT PROF. & HOD, DEPARTMENT
OF OPTOMETRY, SCHOOL OF MEDICAL & (See Figure 1 - Various etiological causes leading to red-
ALLIED SCIENCES, GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY, eye)
GREATER NOIDA
1 INFECTION: eg, infective conjunctivitis. This may be bacterial (figure
3), fungal, viral (figure 4), protozoal, secondary to corneal ulceration,
pterygium, and pinguecula, lid abnormalities like trichiasis, entropion,
ectropion, and blepharitis (figure 7). Other less frequent causes include
orbital cellulitis, endophthalmitis, and acute dacryocystitis, etc.

2 INFLAMMATION: eg, non-infective conjunctivitis. This may be
allergic conjunctivitis (figure 5), conjunctivitis associated with keratitis,
episcleritis, and scleritis (figure 8). Anterior uveitis also known as
iridocyclitis (figure 6) leads to red-eye more prominent around
the limbus. Various environmental factors like radiation, extreme
GAURAV DUBEY temperatures, and pollutants also lead to red-eye. More often foreign
FACULTY, SCHOOL OF OPTOMETRY, body in the eye leads to severe red eye associated with poor tolerance
DEPARTMENT OF PARAMEDICAL SCIENCES,
UPUMS, SAIFAI, ETAWAH, U.P. to light, pain, and watering (tearing).

| SEPT-OCT 2020 | 90 CLINICAL