Eye infections, irritation and injuries are some of the most common causes of eyelid swelling. There are instances in which it can be blamed on more serious problems such as ocular herpes, orbital cellulitis and Graves’ disease, most of which can potentially cost you your eyesight.
This article will talk about some of the most usual reasons why your eyelids are swollen.
Always remember that none of the pieces of information found below should be mistaken for a medical advice — it’s definitely a good idea to pay an eye doctor a visit without delay if the swelling worsens, changes or is accompanied by other unusual signs and symptoms.
Allergies
There are many different irritants that can cause an eye allergy to strike, and they can range anywhere from dust, pollen, pet dander, contact lens solution to eye makeup.
Needless to say, it’s important for you to figure out the things that can cause an allergy to strike so that you may be able to fend off an unfavorable reaction that can leave your eyelids swollen, which is often accompanied by redness, itchiness and wateriness.
Pink Eye
Eye doctors refer to it as conjunctivitis, but everyone else calls it pink eye. An infection that can be blamed on bacteria or viruses, pink eye is characterized by the inflammation of the conjunctiva — the clear mucous membrane that lines the surface of your eyes and also inside of your eyelids.
Usually, treatment for pink eye is focused on dealing with the signs and symptoms, although in some instances a doctor may prescribe the use of topically-administered antibiotics or antivirals, depending on the root cause of the problem.
Sty or Chalazion
It may seem like a sty and chalazion are one and the same. After all, they are both characterized by the presence of a painful and reddish bump on the eyelid. However, they are actually two different things — a sty is something that forms on the edge of the eyelid, while a chalazion is a growth that appears away from the eyelid’s edge.
No matter if it’s a sty or chalazion that you have, warm compresses can help a lot. At times an eye doctor may recommend administration of antibiotics, or sometimes surgical draining of the area.
Blepharitis
Put simply, blepharitis is the inflammation of the eyelids, and it is usually brought about by problems concerning the oil glands that empty themselves at the bases of your eyelashes. Signs and symptoms of blepharitis include red, painful and swollen eyelids, as well as dandruff-like flakes on the eyelashes.
Sadly, blepharitis is oftentimes a chronic condition — it’s a lifetime issue. The good news is that it’s very much possible to put it under control via proper hygiene and also the administration of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Contact Lenses
Putting on contact lenses for correcting your vision or aesthetic purposes won’t cause your eyelids to become swollen — it is improper care and use of contact lenses that can cause inflammation of the eyelids as well as a bunch of other unfavorable signs and symptoms like itchiness, pain, redness and excessive tear production.
It goes without saying that you should always take good care of your contact lenses and also store them in clean cases in order to avoid unnecessary problems and complications. Also, refrain from using damaged contact lenses.
Trauma
More often than not, any trauma or injury to the eye can cause the eyelids to swell. One very good example is an eyelid contusion, or what everybody outside of the medical community refers to as a black eye. Undergoing cosmetic eye surgery is also something that can cause swelling of the eyelids as a side effect, although at times it can be due to the infection of the incision site.
If the swelling of your eyelids is accompanied by other unusual signs and symptoms such as blurring or loss of vision, it is certainly a good idea to visit an eye doctor without any delay.
