Causes of Red Eyes When Waking Up: Understanding the Symptoms and When to Seek Medical Attention

05:19 PM

Sunday 07 May 2023

I wrote – Nada Sami:

Eye redness when waking up is one of the problems that some people worry about, for fear that it is a warning sign of a disease.

In the next report, The Consulto reviews the causes of red eyes when waking up, according to Healthline.

Causes of red eyes when waking up

1- Eyestrain

Eye redness when waking up is usually caused by staring at a mobile phone or computer before going to sleep for long hours.

Please note that excessive use of electronic panels puts the eyes at risk of stress, due to the blue light emitted from the screen, which also exposes them to dehydration.

Also read: Avoiding your mobile phone at night.. causes serious damage, up to blindness

2- Dry eyes

The production of tears by the lacrimal glands decreases during the hours of sleep, and this explains why some people suffer from red eyes when they wake up in the morning, especially in patients with dry eyes.

3- Environmental irritants

Sleeping in a room with a smoker may lead to red eyes when waking up, as a result of the smoke emitted from cigarettes and its negative effects on the eyes.

Moreover, sleeping in a room with dry air leads to eye irritation, which leads to redness in the morning, so it is recommended to run a humidifier at home at night.

You may be interested in: Preventing Dry Eyes – Doctor Recommends These Tips

3- Allergies

Allergy patients are among the categories that suffer most from red eyes upon waking up from sleep, because symptoms become more severe in the early hours of the morning.

4- Uveitis

Eye redness may indicate a risk of uveitis, especially if the patient also has swelling, pain, blurry vision, and light sensitivity.

You may also be interested in: Eye watering during sleep.. A doctor explains its causes and methods of treatment

5- Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea causes sudden fluctuations in blood pressure and oxygen levels, which may result in eye infections, as the blood vessels feeding them are affected.

Over time, the patient may experience retinal damage.

6- Blepharitis

A disease caused by environmental irritants or caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, and its symptoms in the morning include “eye redness, itching, light sensitivity, and crusts on the upper eyelid.”

7- Conjunctivitis

A patient with conjunctivitis has great difficulty opening his eyes upon awakening, because the symptoms of pink eye syndrome are worse in the morning, such as redness, itching, pain, crusting of eyelashes, and discharge.

Also read: Swollen eyes after waking up. Here are its causes and ways to get rid of it

8- Glaucoma

Symptoms of glaucoma or blue water may appear in the morning, in the event of a sudden and rapid rise in eye pressure, which leads to redness and difficulty in opening it due to the severity of pain.

9- Rheumatoid arthritis

It is an autoimmune disease that not only negatively affects the joints, but also threatens the outer tissues of the eye with the risk of inflammation, which makes them redder and drier, especially when waking up.

When does red eye when waking up require a visit to the doctor?

You should see a doctor if red eyes upon waking are accompanied by the following symptoms:

Eye pain.

Eye redness for more than a week.

Blurry or double vision.

Light sensitivity or the appearance of dark circles in the field of vision.

– Excretion of secretions from the eye.

Nausea.

It may concern: What does red eye tell you?