Burning eyes: symptoms, causes and remedies

By Cristiano Antonino On Feb 26, 2023

Have you ever experienced burning in the eyes, accompanied by other symptoms such as itching, tearing and redness

This is generally a disorder he organs of vision, manifested by a burning sensation in and around the eyes.

In addition to this discomfort, there may be increased sensitivity to light, eye discharge, or the sensation of having a foreign body inside the eye.

Symptoms of eye burning

As mentioned above, discomfort may be accompanied by several other symptoms, and in itself, this problem may also be a prelude to other eye diseases.

Often, this manifestation arises along with itching, redness, and irritation of the eyes.

In addition to burning eyes, vision may also become blurred or experience increased sensitivity to light, which may lead to difficulty in reading.

Listed below are the main ocular symptoms associated with this discomfort:

red and irritated eyes;
tearing;
eye pain;
sensation of a foreign body inside the eye;
discharge;
discomfort in light;
itching.

Other organs involved

This irritation may involve other organs of the body.

For example, nasal manifestations that may accompany eye discomfort may be:

retronasal discharge;
runny nose;
sneezing;
stuffy nose or nasal congestion.

What are the causes of discomfort?

One of the main causes is certainly accidental exposure to irritants, such as cigarette smoke and dust.

Other causes, however, can lead to this discomfort such as:

exposure to irritants such as dust, cigarette smoke, face make-up, household cleaners;
prolonged use of contact lenses and/or backlit devices such as PCs, tablets;

Burning eyes may be a symptom of other diseases such as allergies, conjunctivitis, uveitis, etc.

What diseases can be associated with burning eyes?

The main diseases that are generally associated with the problem are:

allergies;
periorbital cellulitis;
bacterial conjunctivitis;
blepharitis;
Viral conjunctivitis;
rosacea;
Wegner’s granulomatosis;
dry eye syndrome;
uveitis and iritis;
Sjögren’s syndrome.

Remedies to burning eyes

Certainly, an important step to eliminate inflammation is to eliminate incidental elements, which may be the cause of the disorder such as dust, cigarette smoke.

How? By frequently airing the rooms where you stay or work or by avoiding the use of substances, such as detergents and make-up, that are irritants.

Other remedies that can relieve this disorder are the use of artificial tears, frequent rinses with saline solutions and cold compresses on the eyes.

When to seek medical attention?

The use of medications, such as antihistamines and antibiotics, to relieve and stop the discomfort depends on the type of underlying condition.

If the burning does not improve within a few days or in the presence of any of the conditions we have listed above, it is advisable to seek advice from your doctor.

Treatments for burning eyes

Choosing a treatment to eliminate burning eyes depends mainly on the underlying cause of the discomfort and the severity of the concomitant manifestations.

After an eye examination, the specialist might recommend drug therapy such as prescribing antibiotic drops, eye ointments, saline rinses, artificial tears or antihistamines.

Generally, however, once the factor generating the irritation is eliminated, eye burning resolves in a short time.

In other cases, the use of artificial tears or antihistamines (oral, eye drops or ointments) may be the solution and support the therapy indicated for the underlying condition.

However, it may happen that the reason for irritation lies in a bacterial infection.

In such cases, the physician may prescribe eye drops or ointments containing an antibiotic.

Complications

Once the cause has been diagnosed, it is necessary to follow to the letter the therapy that the specialist has indicated to relieve the disorder.

This reduces the risk of potential complications arising, such as impaired visual function or the spread of infection.

How to prevent eye burning?

Pre preventing the occurrence of irritation, it is very important to take precautionary measures.

For example, avoid environmental pollutants, use a humidifier if the environment is very dry, and make sure to wash your hands often when handling contact lenses.

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