Did you know that the optometrist industry in the United States earns about $22 billion every year? Since 2018, this industry has been growing by about 1.8% each year on average. There are now more than 166,000 people in the country who work to help us take care of our eyes.
One of the most common reasons that people need to see an eye doctor is that they have swollen eyelids. But what can cause swollen eyelids? It can be difficult to figure out the exact cause of swollen eyelids because there are many different common causes.
Read on to learn all about the most likely culprits when it comes to your swollen eyelids!
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Swollen Eye Causes Include Allergies
When many people experience swollen eyelids, they assume that they have developed some kind of sickness. Although this is sometimes true, there are also many cases in which it is not. In particular, many swollen eyelids are the result of nothing more than allergies.
In most cases, swollen eyelids resulting from allergies will go away on their own. However, it is important to avoid whatever is causing your allergic reaction. If your eyelids are swelling because of something like pollen in the air, then you might need to avoid going outside to avoid being exposed to it.
At the same time, you might not want to have to stay indoors all the time just to avoid your swollen eyelids. In such cases, it might be better not to just wait for them to go away on their own. You can try taking antihistamines to protect your body from irritants like pollen.
This might even be necessary if your allergic reaction is caused by dust in your home rather than something outside. You can open all of your windows and give your home a cleaning to try to get rid of a lot of dust. However, if that does not suffice, you might need to take antihistamines to be comfortable in your own home.
In most cases, prescription antihistamines will be enough to eliminate the symptoms of eye allergies. If they are not, you may need to speak with your eye doctor about more significant treatments.
Styes Can Cause Eyelid Inflammation
If your eye gets some bacteria in it, it might become infected. Your body might respond to that infection by swelling up and creating a stye.
You can often detect styes because they look like red bumps on the eyelid. Many people feel tempted to rub their styes because they are itchy. However, it is often important to avoid touching a stye.
Instead, you can try to put a warm, wet compress on it for about 10 minutes. If that seems to help, you can repeat this process several times. This may be enough to help your stye drain out and eliminate your swelling.
Pink Eye Can Cause Swelling
Another common cause of swollen eyes is pink eye. Pink eye is also known as conjunctivitis. Some people even call it jelly eye because it can cause the white part of the eye to develop a substance that looks almost like jelly.
If you have this specific symptom, you might want to learn more about jelly eye.
In many cases, you will know that you have pink eye because one or both of your eyes will be stuck together when you wake up in the morning.
If you have a severe case of pink eye, you should go speak with your doctor as soon as possible. Pink eye will go away on its own if you wait long enough. However, in some cases, that can take weeks.
Cellulitis Can Cause Swollen Eyes
If your swollen eyes are caused by cellulitis, it is important that you receive medical treatment as soon as possible. Along with swelling, cellulitis can cause your eyes to bulge and feel painful when you move them around.
If you leave cellulitis alone, then the infection may spread to other parts of the face. Your doctor can provide you with antimicrobial drugs to help you treat this serious condition.
COVID-19 Can Cause Eye Inflammation
It can be hard to keep track of all the different symptoms at COVID-19 can cause. However, if you have had a case of COVID-19 in recent history, it might be responsible for any swollen eyelids you are dealing with now.
If you think that COVID-19 might be causing your swollen eyes, that is another case in which it is important to see your doctor right away. Left alone, COVID-19 eyelid problems can become worse. In serious cases, this can even lead to loss of vision.
Eczema Can Cause Swelling in the Eyes
Most people know of eczema as a condition that causes dry, itchy skin. However, if you have eczema on your eyelids, it can also cause them to swell. You might need a special eczema cream to help reduce the swelling of your eyelids.
Know What Can Cause Swollen Eyelids
If you have ever wondered, “What can cause swollen eyelids?”, we hope that the information we have discussed has answered your question. In many cases, you can wait for swollen eyelids to take care of themselves. However, there are also times when it is important to get in touch with an eye doctor to make sure that you do not have a more serious condition.
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