Redness of the eyes happen when the tiny blood vessels on the surface of the whites of your eyes expand, turning the whites of one or both eyes a pink or reddish tint.

Causes

There are many reasons for tomato eyes and they may be symptomatic of something more serious.

Tomato eyes can be due to eye allergies, eye makeup, falling asleep without removal of makeup, dry eyes, environmental changes, swimming and it can also be due to high blood pressure.

Treatment

There are different ways for treating red/tomato eyes:

1. You can use decongestant eye drops (Preferrin-A /Curine eye drops) if it’s due to eye makeup or some recent onset irritation.

2. You can use lubricants in case of dry eyes or hot climate.

3. Lubricants like Tears Plus can be used after removing your eye make up for comfort of your eyes.

Additional tips

If you use contact lenses then stay away from heating, cooking and hot showers. Also avoid contact lenses while swimming. Contact lenses induced infections are most dangerous and difficult to treat. So it’s better to use them in hygienic conditions.

It’s important to rule out the cause of red eye and seek medical treatment accordingly. In case of severe itching you can orally take anti-histamine until you see your doctor. Anti-histamine eye drops can be carried in makeup kits for people with sensitive eyes that easily become watery and red.

– Contributions from Dr Murtaza Junejo (Ophthalmic surgeon)