{"id":14023,"date":"2021-06-15T18:28:29","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T18:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=14023"},"modified":"2021-07-26T09:00:01","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T09:00:01","slug":"dry-eyes-or-eye-infection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/dry-eye\/conjunctivitis-and-eye-infections\/dry-eyes-or-eye-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"Dry Eyes or Eye Infection?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Are your eyes red and irritated? Is it dry eyes or an eye infection?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>To help you out, here are the key differences between dry eyes and eye infections.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Important Note:<\/i><\/b><i> While learning about these eye problems is helpful, nothing can replace the care and diagnostic skills of an eye doctor.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned below, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>schedule an eye exam <\/b><\/a>with an eye doctor near you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/dry-eye\/conjunctivitis-and-eye-infections\/why-do-my-eyes-feel-sore\/\">Why Do My Eyes Feel Sore?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Dry eyes or eye infection?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>1. Dry eyes<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Dry eyes are caused by a chronic lack of eye hydration, brought on by either poor tear quality or insufficient tears.<\/p>\n<p>Individuals suffering from dry eyes will experience any number of the following symptoms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Blurred vision<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Burning or itchy eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Grittiness<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Red, irritated eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Sensitivity to light<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Watery eyes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dry eyes can be caused by irritants such as heat and air conditioning, dry, windy weather, some health conditions, drugs, the aging process, or too much screen time.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of treating dry eyes is to keep your eyes hydrated, which can often be accomplished by using artificial tears, increasing tear production, treating inflammation in the eyelids, or conserving tears in the eyes.<\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Eye infections\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Eye infections occur when harmful microorganisms like bacteria, fungus and viruses invade and wreak havoc on the different parts of the eye, such as the conjunctiva and eyelids.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few common signs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Crustiness around the eyelashes and lids<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Enlarged lymph nodes near the ear<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Eye pain or irritation<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Eye redness<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Swollen eyelids<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Yellowy discharge from the eyes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you suspect that you have an eye infection, don\u2019t take a \u201cwait and see\u201d approach. Prompt treatment will facilitate a speedier recovery and help prevent any possible eye damage.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What to do?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>The key to properly diagnosing and treating any eye condition is a comprehensive eye exam.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In addition to examining your eyes, your eye doctor may also ask questions about your lifestyle, medical history and family history to better understand your condition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1627371425620000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFAkq20Jd9C3VzyQMS6lJ_Six2mcA\">Guide to Eye Conditions<\/a><\/p>\n<p>So, whether you suspect you have dry eye syndrome or an eye infection, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>schedule an eye exam<\/b><\/a> with an eye doctor near you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are your eyes red and irritated? Is it dry eyes or an eye infection?\u00a0\u00a0 To help you out, here are the key differences between dry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11677,"parent":5454,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14023","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dry Eyes or Eye Infection? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/dry-eye\/conjunctivitis-and-eye-infections\/dry-eyes-or-eye-infection\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dry Eyes or Eye Infection? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are your eyes red and irritated? 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