The Phenomenon of Eye Discharge
When a person sleeps, there is an eye discharge of certain debris known as oil, tears, and skin cells. However this particular situation is not always harmful but in certain cases, it was also found that eyes discharge was of either green or yellow color, which pointed towards some kind of infection. If a person’s eyes are discharging more material than usual on a daily basis, then medical intervention becomes necessary and the person must immediately consult an eye specialist. Our eyes discharge certain materials while sleeping because the phenomenon of blinking is paused during that time. In a span of one day, a person tends to blink at least 20 times per minute and this process of blinking works as a safeguard for the eyes by draining the mucus away and maintaining moisture. In most cases, a certain amount of rheum (a form of watery discharge, originating from the mucous membranes of either the eyes or nose) usually gets fixated around eyelids or eyelashes but if the person sees different colored rheum, feels like having a blurry vision or pain in the eyes upon waking up, then the person can be developing a severe form of eye infection or some serious form of an ailment of the eye.
Causes of “Eye discharge”
- One of the chief reasons, which stands behind the phenomenon of eye discharge is either bacterial or fungal infection.
- Different kinds of allergies can also cause eye discharge.
- “Conjunctivitis (pink eye)”, is also one of the main causes of eye discharge. In this form of a medical condition, there is a burning sensation in the conjunctiva, which is a thin membrane that lines the “sclera” and eyelid’s inner surfaces.
In inclusion to the gritty and red eyes, conjunctivitis also forms a white, yellow, or green mucus, which further results in the formation of crust across the lash line.
- A person can have one of three types of Conjunctivitis, which are:-
Viral Conjunctivitis can be very contagious and it has its origins in the virus, which also results in the development of the common cold.
Bacterial Conjunctivitis can become the cause of vision loss if it is not treated within a particular period.
Allergic Conjunctivitis finds it’s a causal relationship with allergens, which are known as pollen, dander, dust. But certain chemical pollutants, contactless solutions, or eye drops can also be the reason behind it.
- To get rid of the bacterial infection, an eye specialist usually prescribes a treatment of 5-10 days but viral infections have a tendency of taking a long time (up to 3 weeks), to completely vanish.
- “Eye Herpes”, which are a form of viral infection can also cause eyes discharge.
- “Acanthamoeba keratitis” is defined as an infection of a high severity level, which causes total blindness. This form of infection is caused by maintaining poor hygiene, during the use of contact lenses.
- “Blepharitis”, can also cause abnormal eye discharge. It is defined as a highly chronic disorder of the eyelids, in which the eyelash hair follicles start getting inflamed or the glands, which are situated at the inner edge of the eyelids, start having inconsistent production of oil.
Associated Eye Problems
- The phenomenon of “Dry eyes”, can also cause a severe form of watery eyes discharge to occur. When there is insufficient tear production or malfunctioning in the meibomian glands, then a person starts developing dry eyes.
- A certain number of people use contact lenses to enhance their vision but if proper cleanliness is not maintained while using the contact lenses, then various can kinds of infections can develop, which leads to an increase in the mucus of eye discharge.
- When a certain amount of debris or dirt gets in the eye, then it can lead the eyes to emanate a severe amount of watery eyes discharge.
- Consistent eye discharge can also lead to the formation of a style, which is a burning sensation of the eyelid combined with a small agglomeration of pus. An immediate medical intervention of an eye specialist becomes necessary in this case.
- If a person has a “thick eye discharge”, then it can be an indication of “Corneal ulcer” in development. It can be defined as a vision-threatening situation for the cornea, which has its origin in either some trauma received by the eye or some form of eye infection that has been left untreated.
- Dacryocystitis is a form of a medical condition that occurs, when the “Lacrimal sac”, which has its location in the tear drainage system leading to the nose, starts becoming inflamed and infected. Pain and redness are the most common symptoms of it, followed by a “sticky eyes discharge”.
Treatment
A minuscule amount of eye discharge is harmless but if the debris of eye discharge frequently changes it’s color, consistency, and amount, then some severe form of eye ailment can occur in the nearby future. The following methods of treatment should be followed for effective treatment of eye discharge.
- If eye mucus is the reason behind an eye infection, which is caused by eyes discharge, then certain antibiotics or antiviral eye drops or ointments may be prescribed by the eye specialist.
- If allergies are causing irritation and wetness of the eye, then some antihistamine eye drops and decongestants can become an effective tool in curing the symptoms.
- Warm compresses can also be situated above the eye, to remove eyes discharge and provide warmness to the eye.
- Certain steroid eye drops and antibiotics are really helpful with the treatment of eye discharge.
Ways to avoid Irregular Eye Discharge
Irregular eye discharge can result in severe types of eyes related to ailments. Some effective ways have been mentioned below to avoid the problem:-
- Wash the hands properly before touching the eyes, to ensure, there is no spread of any kind of infection.
- For people who already have an existing infection, then the use of makeup must be avoided until the treatment has been completed.
- Avoid sleeping with contact lenses in the eye, it can also cause other kinds of eye ailments.
- To ensure that dry eyes do not become a persistent occurrence, use eye drops.
- When cool tea bags are placed on the eye, then the eyes start relaxing and it has been found to be an efficacious form of eye treatment.
- Avoid using the belongings of a person who either recently had some form of an eye infection or still has a persisting eye infection.
- The use of honey eye drops has also shown a highly effective tendency in the treatment of eye infections, which occur due to irregular eye discharge.
Conclusion
This phenomenon is usually normal but it can turn into a complication also, if not dealt with properly. In the majority cases of eyes discharge, no medical treatment is needed but if the eye discharge starts changing colors, then it becomes necessary to consult an eye doctor to avoid any severe eye-related ailments in the future. If a person follows proper sanitization methods, then problems related to irregular eye discharge can be avoided.