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Problem: I have red, bloodshot eyes
that just look awful. It doesn't seem to have anything
to do with lack of sleep, and I don't drink alcohol, so
what am I doing wrong?
Solution: Many things can cause the
blood vessels in the eye to swell and look more obvious.
Alcohol consumption and a lack of sleep are only two of
the possibilities. Contact lenses, exposure to smoke,
rubbing your eyes, allergies, dry air, staring at a project
or computer monitor all day and overusing eyedrops can
all make the blood vessels in the eye look like roadmaps.
A humidifier can help, and so can remembering to blink
regularly during the day. To reduce dryness, the natural
tear products and eyewashes found at the drugstore are
a great option. Eye drops, like Visine, used repeatedly
can aggravate the problem by causing a rebound effect,
making the blood vessels swell even more (Sources: Visine
product warning label and Ophthalmology, November 1991,
pages 1364–1367). You should only use Visine-type products
occasionally.
For those who have chronic eye redness, it is very important
to make an appointment with your physician (or ophthalmologist)
to determine if there is an underlying disease like ocular
rosacea causing the problem.
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