Why is my eye sore?

Symptoms:

One of your eyes has suddenly become red and tender and your vison has become blurry. You’re in your mid 60s. You had a bit of grit in your eye which a friend removed, since then your eye has become red and sore. It’s sensitive to light and you need to keep it closed.

You started to use a new brand of mascara and shortly afterwards your eyes became itchy, then red and swollen and then produced tears.

It could be:

Glaucoma, a condition where fluid builds up within the eyeball causing pain and pressure on the retina at the back of the eye and it affects your sight. It’s one of the leading causes of blindness if untreated.

Conjunctivitis,

inflammation of the ultra-thin covering over the whites of your eyes and inside your eyelids. An allergy to the mascara – quite a common condition.

Stop it:

Treatment is urgent so go to A&E ASAP or even better to a local eye hospital for immediate treatment and decompression of the eyeball. Go to a pharmacist who’ll be able to give you antibiotic eye drops which will bring the infection under control. If not better in 2-3 days then see your doctor.

Stop using the mascara. Don’t use eye make-up until the inflammation around the eyes has gone. See your doctor for allergy tests. If necessary use a low dose steroid cream on your eyelids.