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Have Had A Single Red Eye In The Inner Corner. What Are The Cause And What Can Be Done?
Question: For about 1 week now, I have had a single red eye. Only, it's red just in the inner corner only. I woke up from sleeping with it like this. It has remained this way, and my eye feels slightly uncomfortable and tired. What is this, and what should I do?
Dear XXXXXXX
Thanks for your concerns. The most common cause of painless red eye that does not affect visual acuity after waking up is a subconjunctival hematoma, meaning a bruising of the small vessels in the white of the eye, typically after rubbing them. A lot more common in the inside rather than the outside part of the eye. The blood and irritation gradually gets reabsorbed within 1 week; topical drops such as tetryzoline hydrochloride or similars that are over the counter can help; nevertheless, if irritation persists, there is concerning pain, visual disturbances or sensation of foreign body then an urgent care visit would be warranted to take a look with a slit lamp and fluorescein tincture (looking for example for a corneal ulcer).
Hope that helps, truly yours,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
Thanks for your concerns. The most common cause of painless red eye that does not affect visual acuity after waking up is a subconjunctival hematoma, meaning a bruising of the small vessels in the white of the eye, typically after rubbing them. A lot more common in the inside rather than the outside part of the eye. The blood and irritation gradually gets reabsorbed within 1 week; topical drops such as tetryzoline hydrochloride or similars that are over the counter can help; nevertheless, if irritation persists, there is concerning pain, visual disturbances or sensation of foreign body then an urgent care visit would be warranted to take a look with a slit lamp and fluorescein tincture (looking for example for a corneal ulcer).
Hope that helps, truly yours,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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