Is a discomforting niggling sore eye making you feel like you're on your last nerve?

Eye conditions can interfere with or threaten good vision health.

Conditions like infections, eyestrain, chronic dry eyes or red eyes can be injurious to your eyes. However, timely vision care forestalls damage.

Infections: An eye infection can be viral or fungal; they inflame the eye producing eye pain, redness, swelling and light sensitivity. Any inflammation in or around the eye may result in irritations, itching, a swollen eye area, an eye discharge or blurry vision.

Eyestrain: Typically, eyestrain crops up from improper focusing when the eyes are not properly aligned. Eyestrain produces aggravating and unpleasant symptoms of sore, tired, burning or itchy eyes. Another main trigger for eyestrain is using your eyes for protracted periods of time on the computer or prolonged periods of reading.

Dry Eyes: Chronic dry eyes can cause the surface of your eye to become inflamed. Dryness may cause constant redness, itching, burning or sporadic blurred vision. 

Some medical disorders like systemic lupus or thyroid-related eye diseases often trigger dry eye symptoms. As well, dry eyes can come about because of some medications. Normally, dry eyes can be very uncomfortable.

Blood Shot Eyes: The colour range of red eyes spans from a pink to bright red. overall, red eyes are caused by an allergy, eye fatigue, an eye infection like conjunctivitis or prolonged use of contact lens. Sometimes swollen or dilated blood vessels on the white outer surface of the eye can be the culprit that produces red eyes. 

It's fitting to note that eye redness can be warning sign of a more serious eye condition or disease, early diagnosis is a good thing

Eye Care: Always seek prompt eye care if visual changes happen. Get the appropriate care by visiting your eye doctor for a correct diagnosis. There are also self-care strategies along with your doctor's prescriptions that can bring comfort and relief to irksome everyday eye soreness problems.

1.  Applying a cold compress to an irritating red eye can be quite soothing.

2. Typically, viral eye infections require antiviral or steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation. Most common bacterial eye infections clear up with prescription antibiotic, eye drops or ointments.

3. For dry eyes a basic treatment is frequent lubrication, this helps to keep your eyes moist, healthy and less sore or red. However, if medications are the cause of your dry eyes, changing or discontinuing the offending drug generally resolves the problem.

4.  Eyestrain self-care steps mean making simple changes in your work habits or your environment. Change lighting to reduce glare and harsh reflections. Avoid having the lighting directly behind or above a computer screen, both procedures help to prevent or reduce eyestrain.

Its also prudent to choose a computer screen that can tilt or swivel.

5.  Underlying eye problems such as an eye muscle imbalance will need other correction steps.

6.  An appropriate prescription for eyeglasses along with prescribed eye exercises can be helpful.

7.  For hurting eyes, self-care remedies include rest, cool compresses or over-the-counter eye drops.Or more aggressive treatment such as antibiotics or even surgery may be required.

8.   If you experience pain in the eye, light sensitivity or blurry vision consult your eye doctor immediately or your hospital's emergency department.