Swollen eyelids are not just an aesthetic problem, but a signal about disorders in the body. In some cases, swelling on the eyelids does not pose a threat to health and it is easy to eliminate them even at home. But sometimes the eyes can swell so much that you can’t do without medical help. Let’s look at what swollen eyelids can indicate and what to do with different types of edema.
Causes
The eyelids, as a rule, swell either due to the accumulation of fluid in the connective tissues surrounding the eye, or due to inflammation. Depending on the cause that caused the swelling, it can be quite painful, or cause almost no discomfort, appear only on one eye or both at once, affect the upper or lower eyelids. Swelling can indicate eye infections, trauma, allergies, and sometimes be the first symptom of a fairly serious disease, such as ocular herpes, orbital cellulitis or Graves’ disease. Is this the first time you hear about such ailments? Then you should all the more find out what swollen eyelids can talk about and what to do with edema of different etiologies.
Eye damage
Any injury in the eye area, including those caused by cosmetic surgery or the ingrowth of eyelashes into soft tissues, can provoke severe swelling of the eyelids. Depending on the area of damage, both the upper and lower eyelids may swell. If the cause is damage, then often a bruise and redness of the sclera appear at the site of edema.
What to do
Cool compresses, for example from black tea bags, will help to alleviate the condition. The fact is that the caffeine contained in tea helps to reduce puffiness. In addition, to reduce fluid retention in the eyelids, try to keep your head up.
Barley
If swelling and redness have formed only on a small area of the upper eyelid, this may indicate barley, or, as it is customary to call this disease scientifically, gordeolum. Barley is an acute purulent inflammatory process in the sebaceous gland located at the edge of the eyelid. The cause of the disease is an infection that has penetrated the gland. In many cases, in addition to swelling, the patient may be concerned about pain in the eye, sometimes purulent discharge is visible on the eyelid. Initially, at the site of barley formation, a person may feel itching, then redness and mild pain appear, and then swelling. After a few days, the swelling goes away, and something resembling a purulent pimple remains on the eyelid. In most cases, the infection affects only one gland and does not require specialized treatment.
What to do
To remove the swelling and relieve the pain caused by barley, you can use warm “dry” compresses. For a faster improvement of the condition during the illness, creams and make-up products should be abandoned, as they can contribute to the spread of the disease and eye irritation. If several foci of barley have formed at the same time, the disease is accompanied by severe pain, fever and increased edema, it is necessary to consult a doctor. In this case, the patient may need medication therapy with the use of antibiotics.
Chalazion
Chalazion at first glance may resemble barley. But if you look closely at the diseased eyelid, it is easy to notice a small nodule on it. Chalazion is also a manifestation of an inflammatory process that has affected the edge of the eyelid. At first, the swelling may resemble barley, but then a small hard sebaceous cyst forms on the swollen area. In addition, if barley is usually a transient ailment, then chalazion is chronic.
What to do
As in the case of barley, warm compresses can be useful. As a rule, after a few days the swelling and nodules go away. But if the eyelids swell very much, while the patient has a fever, you should seek specialized medical help.
Allergy
Red, itchy, watery and swollen eyelids can be one of the signs of allergies. Dust, pollen, cosmetics and other allergens can cause this kind of reaction. Such symptoms are rarely dangerous, but they are also not pleasant. The best way to prevent swelling of the eyelids due to allergies is to avoid allergens.
What to do
You can quickly remove allergy symptoms in the form of swollen eyelids with the help of antihistamines. Also, drops used for itching and dry eyes can be a good help for the eyelids in this case. But if the allergy symptoms have passed, and the swelling of the eyelids remains, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist.
Fatigue, alcohol, sleep disorders
Severe fatigue can also cause the eyelids to swell a little and look swollen. In addition, the eyelids are almost guaranteed to swell by morning if the tissues hold too much fluid. This can happen due to salt abuse. Only 1 gram of salt is able to hold about 1 liter of liquid in the body. The appearance of the eyelids largely depends on the quality of sleep. A sleepless night or a bad night’s sleep, as well as an excessively long rest, can make the eyelids swollen. If the cause of edema is improper sleep, then it usually takes several hours for the eyelids to return to their usual appearance.
What to do
If the eyelids are swollen for one of the above reasons, then a cold compress, such as chamomile or tea, will help to remove the swelling. During the procedure, you should lie down and put a high pillow under your head.
Weeping
It is easy to recognize a recently crying person by swollen eyelids. Everyone knows that. And many people wonder why, when we cry, our eyelids swell. Experts have several explanations for this. Firstly, with strong and prolonged crying, the blood flow into the capillaries of the eyes and eyelids increases, as a result of which they can burst. As a result, edema forms in the places of damage to the vascular network. Secondly, the activation of blood flow to the eye area contributes to the accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues, which causes the eyelids to swell.
What to do
How quickly it will be possible to remove traces of crying from the eyes depends on how long a person has been crying. To speed up this process, you need to calm down, try to keep your head up, and put a cool compress on swollen eyelids.
Improper use of contact lenses
Contact lenses are a great thing for people with visual impairments. But if they are worn incorrectly, the eyelids can also swell. For example, if the lenses are not removed at night, while swimming or taking a shower, it is wrong to store or use them dirty or damaged – all this can cause eye irritation and swelling of the eyelids.
What to do
To alleviate the condition, you can make lotions from chamomile broth or tea, as well as drip eye drops that relieve irritation. If the redness of the eyes does not go away, the eyelids swell even more, purulent discharge from the eyes appeared, the temperature increased, you should seek medical help. Probably, along with the lenses, an infection got into the eyes.
Cosmetics
It is not necessary to have an allergy to cosmetics, so that it causes swelling of the eyelids. If particles of shadows, mascara or other cosmetics get into the eyes, they can irritate the mucous membrane, making the eyelids swollen, red and painful.
What to do
To remove swelling on the eyelids, it is necessary to eliminate the source of irritation, that is, to wash out the particles of cosmetics from the eye. This is easy to do using eye drops from the “artificial tear” series. But if relief has not come even after washing, it is not worth delaying a visit to an eye doctor.
Orbital Cellulite
Do you think cellulite only happens on the hips? Not at all! Cellulite can affect the eyes and cause swollen eyelids. But it should be said right away that this is a completely different cellulite than the one that many women struggle with. In ophthalmology, there is orbital cellulitis – inflammation of the eye tissues caused by infection. This is a very painful and rapidly progressing condition. As a rule, soon after infection, the eyelid swells greatly, becomes red and very painful.
What to do
If the cause of edema on the eyelids is orbital cellulite, then no folk methods and home self-medication will help, but only further worsen the patient’s condition. This is a very serious disease that requires therapy with antibiotics.
Bazedov disease
Basedova disease (Graves disease, hyperthyroidism, diffuse toxic goiter) is an autoimmune pathology manifested by hyperactivity of the thyroid gland. The disease has many clinical symptoms, and one of them is swelling of the tissues around the eyes. In case of illness, swelling on the eyelids appears for no apparent reason and, as a rule, does not go away after using compresses or other folk methods.
What to do
If the swelling of the eyelids is a consequence of hyperthyroidism, then it will not be possible to remove the swelling without special treatment. Basedova disease is a serious disease that causes hormonal disorders. It is important to seek medical help in time, undergo examinations and begin treatment. Only after proper drug therapy can the swelling of the eyes caused by hyperthyroidism go away.
Ocular herpes
If the eyelids (upper and / or lower) are swollen, reddened, and soon the area around the eye is covered with sores resembling herpes, then most likely this is this disease, only in its “ocular” version. Doctors call this disease ocular herpes or ophthalmic herpes. The cause of the disease is a virus known to many. If a person’s immunity is very weakened, then the pathogen can affect not only the eyelids, but also the cornea of the eye, causing inflammation of the eyeball and damage to the ocular nerves.
What to do
Inflamed and swollen eyelids are far from the worst thing that can cause ocular herpes. If you do not start timely treatment, the virus can lead to vision impairment and even complete blindness. Therefore, at the first suspicious symptoms, it is necessary to immediately see an ophthalmologist. Treatment with folk methods will not bring effect. To achieve positive results, it is necessary to follow therapy using antiviral drugs.
Blepharitis
In simple terms, blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid. There can be a great many reasons for the development of the disease, including improper removal of makeup from the eyes. The insidiousness of the disease is that it is easy to “pick up”, but it is almost impossible to cure. In most cases, blepharitis turns into a chronic form with periodic exacerbations. You can suspect blepharitis if not only the eyelids are swollen and heavy, but also if there is a feeling of a foreign body in the eyes, photophobia, and after a night’s sleep, a crust forms on the eyelids.
What to do
Warm compresses will help alleviate the condition, as well as treatment with an antibiotic-based eye ointment (prescribed by a doctor). During the period of exacerbation, it is important to completely abandon cosmetics.
Blockage of the tear duct
Our eyes produce tears not only during crying. Tears are produced constantly – to moisten the eyeball. And they are allocated through special tear ducts. But sometimes it happens that the duct becomes clogged, which is why excess fluid accumulates in the channel. As a result, the eyelids swell up a lot, turn red and hurt. Quite often this disorder occurs in babies up to 1 year old.
What to do
If the swelling of the eyelid is caused by a blockage of the tear duct, warm compresses and a gentle massage of the eye area can be useful. Often such methods are enough to open channels and relieve swelling, but sometimes surgical intervention may be necessary to eliminate the problem.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye, which experts call conjunctiva. Inflammation can be caused by an allergen, a virus (most often) or a bacterium. In addition to swollen eyelids, the disease is manifested by redness and severe eye pain.
What to do
With a little inflammation, warm compresses will help relieve symptoms, including swelling. If the patient’s condition does not improve after a few days, treatment with antibiotics may be necessary. If the swelling of the eyelids is caused by fluid retention, stress, allergies or lack of sleep, then the swelling will usually be on both eyes. As a rule, in such cases, you can remove the swelling and relieve the condition yourself at home. If the swelling of the eyelids is accompanied by pain in the eyes and visual impairment, you should definitely seek help from a specialist.