When the eyes turn red

There are many reasons that can cause eye redness in adults, children or the elderly . Red eyes can first of all be linked to ongoing inflammation that can affect both the conjunctiva of the eye , the eyelids or the attached glands. Injury to blood vessels resulting from physical trauma can also degenerate into redness, inflammation or bleeding. 

Without considering others of more serious entity , red eyes can often be more simply connected to climatic factors and pollution : too cold or too hot can in fact alter the state of the eye, affecting the humidity of the same, as in case of polluted air and micro-dust, causing unexpected nuisances.

Contact lenses , chemicals in make-up products, pet hair, smoke or pollen can also cause a strong reaction from the eyes, which release histamine to cope with certain allergens. Dry and tired eye, which often burns, can be the consequence of too prolonged exposure to the computer ; pool chlorine, insomnia and alcohol abuse can also lead to redness of the eye. 

Here are some simple advice that calls to the rescue a series of natural remedies for eye health  that in no way substitute the opinion of a doctor or specialist who is always and in any case good to consult in advance.  

Read also How to give well-being to the eyes >>

Natural remedies for red eyes

> First of all, take care of your diet : drinking lots of water and enriching your diet with vitamins can generally be useful for good eye health. Green light then to raw fruits and vegetables (including blueberries, carrots, pumpkin, tomato, peaches, melon, apricots, foods rich in vitamin A ), enriching if necessary with natural supplements, such as pollen, royal jelly, wheat germ, seeds oily or dried fruit.

> Take breaks when you are in front of the computer, it would be good, at least every two hours, to take a break of a quarter of an hour. Also make sure that where you work the air is not excessively dry: recover trays to place on radiators or diffusers that you can enrich with natural and beneficial essential oils. 

> Try to rest and sleep well , helping yourself with natural herbal teas, eliminating late sports, especially if you suffer from insomnia, reading a few pages of a book to welcome sleep, turning off the lights to allow the eye to regenerate. Don’t forget that there are also useful yoga exercises for the eyes !

> Relieve eye inflammation by alternating compresses of cold and lukewarm water to increase circulation, with the help of a soft towel. Alternatively you can use chamomile tea, obviously leaving it to cool well after the infusion and using sterile gauze or cotton pads that do not disperse lint.

> Make natural packs also with the vegetables , cutting the classic cucumber slices to leave on the eyes for about 10 minutes, or alternatively some carrot slices previously steamed and then left to cool.

> Especially with dry eye, keep soothing eye drops and “natural tears” based on mallow, chamomile, euphrasia, witch hazel, to compensate for the scarce lacrimation. 

A good read ? “Nature’s Antibiotics” By Aruna M. Siewert