Have you been crying a lot? Are your eyes swollen and you’re looking for a way to reduce it?
There are a variety of reasons why your eyes could be swollen. Some of these include crying, allergies, pink eye, stye, or an eye injury.
Your eyes become swollen when fluid builds up in the layers of tissue surrounding your eye. This causes your eyes and eyelids to swell.
Most of the time, eye swelling will go away on its own within a day. But if the swelling lasts over a day, you need to treat it.
Some conditions could damage your eyes if left untreated. If your eyes are still swollen between 24-48 hours, you should reach out to your eye doctor. Here are 10 easy tips to follow if your eyes are swollen:
1. Wash or Rinse Your Eyes
If there is any discharge coming out of your eyes, try rinsing them out with water. If your eyes are swollen because of allergies, cool water will feel the best on them.
2. Try A Cool Compress
Wetting a washcloth with cool water, lying down, and placing it across your eyes is a great way to treat swollen eyes. Try resting like this for a bit.
3. Use Antihistamine Eye Drops for Allergies
If you have allergies and your eyes are swollen, try antihistamine eye drops. Use them only as prescribed by your doctor.
If you use antihistamine eye drops to try to treat another condition, they could end up hurting your eyes.
4. Stop Wearing Contacts
If you wear contact lenses and your eyes or eyelids are swollen, you should remove them. Contact lenses could cause further irritation, so you’re better off taking a break from them.
5. Take A Pain Reliever
If your eyes hurt, you could try an over the counter pain reliever. They can help ease any pain while also reducing any swelling.
6. Rest
When your eyes are swollen, resting your eyes can help. For a few hours, you should avoid looking at screens.
Looking at screens too long can cause you to strain your eyes or develop dry eyes. If you need entertainment, try listening to an audiobook or podcast to give your eyes some time to chill out.
7. Hydrate
Staying hydrated is key for keeping your eyes healthy. Being hydrated helps prevent your eyes from drying out.
If your eyes are dried out, any swelling that your eyes experience will be very uncomfortable. Your eyes could even become swollen as a result of dehydration, so make sure to drink enough water.
8. Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for your eye and general health. Getting 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night will help you avoid getting puffy eyes.
Developing a bedtime routine will help you get enough sleep. Do your best to go to bed at the same time every night.
Yes, even on weekends. This is the easiest way to create a routine and stick to it!
9. Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking alcohol can dehydrate you, so drinking less will help you stay hydrated. When you are dehydrated, your eyes can get swollen.
Instead of drinking alcohol, you should try drinking some water. If you do not like plain water, try infusing it with fruit.
10. Skip the Salt
If you eat foods with too much salt, your body can hold onto too much fluid. Eating foods that contain fewer chemicals and incorporating more fresh foods helps.
Processed foods have more sodium than fresh food, which is what your body holds onto.
Are you concerned about what is making your eyes swollen? Schedule an appointment at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Manhattan today to get your eyes back to normal!
