Red eye, blurry vision and light sensitivity

Redness alone may come from irritation or conjunctivitis, but blurring and discomfort in bright light can indicate involvement of the cornea or other internal parts of the eye. A migraine can cause light sensitivity and visual symptoms, although a red eye is not typical of every migraine. Meningitis can cause severe headache, fever, neck stiffness, vomiting, confusion, or strong sensitivity to light; eye symptoms with these features are an emergency.

The cause cannot be identified safely from appearance alone. A clinician may check visual sharpness, pupils, eye pressure, the corneal surface, and the surrounding tissues. Do not assume that a mild-looking red eye is harmless when vision is affected.

Remove contact lenses if you wear them and do not put them back in. Rest in dim light, avoid rubbing the eye, and use clean hands if you need to wipe tears. Do not drive if vision is blurred. Avoid borrowing eye drops and do not use steroid drops unless prescribed for this episode. If a chemical entered the eye, rinse continuously with clean running water while arranging emergency help, and take the product container if available.

Seek emergency care now for sudden or worsening vision loss, severe eye pain, a very painful reaction to light, an irregular pupil, injury, chemical exposure, or headache with fever, neck stiffness, confusion, or vomiting. Contact an eye-care service promptly even without those signs if the blurring persists, the redness is increasing, or symptoms affect one eye more than the other. Someone else should take you if your vision is not clear.

Is the cornea or inner eye inflamed? Do I need an eye-pressure check or specialist examination? Should I avoid work, driving, lenses, screens, or particular medicines while the eye heals?