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What Causes Yellow Discoloration In The Eyes?
My 16 year old son has had two people mention that the whites of his eye look yellow . I must say that I assured him that they look fine but they do look more yellow than normal. I asked him if he was drinking enough water and he said he hadn t been. Could this be the problem or should he make an appointment to see his PCP?
Fri, 22 Mar 2019
Hello,
Dehydration is not likely to cause this. Slight yellowness to the whites of the eyes can be a normal variant for people who are highly pigmented, racially black.
Otherwise, it can represent a problem with a function of the liver. Some people who are otherwise healthy can have a disorder called Gilbert disease, where the liver doesn't do a certain process well enough, particularly when the body is under stress.
Other liver diseases can cause this too. I recommend that your son have an exam with his doctor who will also likely due a liver function panel blood test, which can provide information on how the liver is doing and if it is behind the yellowness.
Finally, excessive beta carotene (what is in carrots) can cause yellowing, but then the skin of the body is typically more orange as well.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Dehydration is not likely to cause this. Slight yellowness to the whites of the eyes can be a normal variant for people who are highly pigmented, racially black.
Otherwise, it can represent a problem with a function of the liver. Some people who are otherwise healthy can have a disorder called Gilbert disease, where the liver doesn't do a certain process well enough, particularly when the body is under stress.
Other liver diseases can cause this too. I recommend that your son have an exam with his doctor who will also likely due a liver function panel blood test, which can provide information on how the liver is doing and if it is behind the yellowness.
Finally, excessive beta carotene (what is in carrots) can cause yellowing, but then the skin of the body is typically more orange as well.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
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