Getting to Know Eye Cold - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

An eye cold symptom is a troublesome health issue which might go by itself within 8 to 10 days. However, it’s very contagious and may cause complications. Thus, it is crucial to understand what this issue stands for. We must be aware of what it is, its symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and treatment along with all the eccentricities that make it the problem it is. Ready to dive into a pool of knowledge about eye cold with us? Let’s go!

What Is an Eye Cold

An eye injury is a type of conjunctivitis. Viral conjunctivitis to be specific. Before understanding what that is, we need to first know a bit about conjunctivitis. The disease conjunctivitis is also known as pink eye and is mainly of three types, based on the way it hits humankind. One form is bacterial, one allergic and the final one, as we said before, is viral conjunctivitis. It is an inflammation in the conjunctiva - the layer of tissue that covers the white region of your eye and lines your eyelids from the inside. If you want to know more about conjunctivitis, make sure to read the mini-guide we have prepared for you, answering all frequently asked questions about the disease.

Coming back to viral conjunctivitis, allow us to tell you that it is not deadly. However, cold sore eyes are quite irritating and may cause a lot of discomforts. Stay assured though. Unlike bacterial conjunctivitis, viral may not lead to any form of blindness or vision loss.

Eye Cold Symptoms

How to know if what you have is an eye cold? Well, here are some of the symptoms you might encounter. For instance, you may feel a gritty feeling (a feeling that you have sand in your eyes) in one or both of the eyes. Usually, if eye cold is present in one of the eyes, the other eye can get affected too, pretty soon. Apart from this, you may feel a burning sensation or itching in your eye(s).

Your eyelids might swell and you may experience watery discharge from your eye(s). As the name pink eye for conjunctivitis suggests, the white region of your eyes may turn pinkish or reddish. Yes, that’s how the name pink eye came to exist. Excessive tearing is also one of the significant symptoms.

There is a big chance that you may develop sudden sensitivity towards light. This is another eye issue known as photophobia. You can read more about it on our blog. But in short, the issue can be described as pain in the eyes when you look towards a bright light. You can find comfort with the help of eyeglasses that have anti-glare and anti-UV coatings, that help protect against the trouble from the sun and other lights.

While all these are common symptoms, the most common one is that you will experience sneezing and coughing as well. These cold or flu-like signs are the ones that make the disease so contagious and the very reason why you should stay much more alert if you or someone you know has such eye cold symptoms.

What Causes Eye Cold

Since eye cold is a form of viral conjunctivitis, it is quite obvious that it is caused by airborne viruses. The main virus which is called the culprit is the group of adenoviruses. These are the very viruses that also cause the common cold. Other viruses that lead to viral conjunctivitis are poxvirus, picornavirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and herpes simplex virus.

All these viruses are spread in various ways. For instance, adenovirus can spread if the person affected from it sneezes or coughs in the air. This leads to the virus getting into bodies through the air they breathe ie., the respiratory system. Another way these viruses can spread is through contact. For example, if you share your makeup, ointments, towels, clothes or anything with the person having eye cold, you might get affected by the virus too.

That’s why it is crucial to take care of your hygiene. Keep washing hands and face regularly to avoid catching eye cold through contact. Also, stay clear from people who have a cold and ensure to use a handkerchief while you sneeze or cough if you have an eye cold yourself.

Eye Cold During Pregnancy

Many women undergo conjunctivitis during their pregnancy. And as we know eye cold is one form of pink eye, it is possible to have it too. But what makes pink eyes common in pregnant women? It is the changes that their body experiences. The unbalanced hormones and the altered blood circulation makes them more prone to infections. And they may develop some symptoms like watery eyes in cold weather. While they may cause some discomfort, the infections, even if it is any form of pink eye - bacterial, viral (eye cold) or allergic, will go away on its own in some time.

If the infection is allergic, mostly cold and warm compresses help relieve the discomfort. For bacterial pink eyes, antibiotics that doctors recommend will help. In the case of viral, i.e., eye cold, there is a necessity to take special care, because it is contagious. But how to deal with it? The answer has been given in detail below.

Eye Cold Diagnosis

A doctor will check your medical history as part of the diagnosis. He or she will then ask and verify your symptoms and may examine your eye for more details. Next, he or she may even collect some part of the discharge from your eyes to examine it further before reaching to a conclusion if you have an eye cold or not.

How to Get Rid of Eye Cold

You don’t usually have to make any efforts for eye cold treatment. The condition subsides on its own within 7 to 14 days. If not, the severe cases of eye cold may take anywhere between two to three weeks. After that, the symptoms diminish and you no longer feel any discomfort.

But how to treat an eye cold and speed up the process of healing? As said before, unlike bacterial pink eyes, viral pink eyes that are something like yee cold do not get better with antibiotics. In fact, some experts say that antibiotics may only worsen the situation. That’s why it is necessary to diagnose and be sure that it is a viral pink eye before taking any steps to speed up the healing process.

However, if you are sure, thanks to a proper diagnosis that it is eye cold, then you can take action to cure the symptoms. This way the contagion effect of the viral pink will get reduced and thus, its effect. The doctor may tell you to use artificial tears or perform cold and warm compresses. These will especially be effective if you have itching or swelling that is causing the discomfort. Apart from these, the doctor may also suggest you rinse your eyes in warm water.

You should not use any eye makeup, foundation etc. that’s because the chemical preservatives that such things have may only increase the infection and increase the chances of spread.

If you wear contact lenses then here is a special note for you. Do not use them when you know that you have an eye cold that’s healing. Contact lenses may be the cause of infection as well. And if you continue eating them, they might lead to terrible complications.

If your contacts are disposable, make sure to discard them. Only wear contact lenses again when you have completely gotten rid of the eye cold.

Now, you might be using your contact lenses for improvement in vision. In that case, opt for eyeglasses that will not only help you correct your vision but they may even help the healing. How? Well, the eyeglasses at Specscart come with free coatings against glare and ultraviolet light. These are harmful to the eyes and may slow down the treatment. But with eyeglasses that have anti-glare and anti-UV coatings, your eyes will stay protected. More on this by the end of the article. Let’s continue with the answer to how to get rid of eye cold. In terms of home remedies that you can use to prevent colds in eyes, here’s what you can do.

• Practice good hygiene by washing your hands regularly and often.
• Do not touch your eyes with dirty hands.
• If you wear contact lenses, make sure you wash your hands properly while putting-in contact lenses in your eyes or before removing it.
• Never be ignorant about storing your contact lenses properly.
• Never share your towels, handkerchieves, and clothes with other people.
• Change your pillow covers, and towels regularly.
• If some things touch your face and eyes, make sure to wash these things often with soap and water.
• Do not use eyeglasses or sunglasses used by somebody else

Make sure you have your own stuff that you share with nobody else if that thing touches your face. Yes, some people share their sunglasses and non-prescription glasses as well. That’s not a good practice, especially when you can easily get a personal pair for inexpensive prices at Specscart.

Some people have the question of how to treat eye cold in toddlers. The answer is you don’t do it with home remedies. Keeping all the preventive measures, take your child to the doctor immediately and get them checked by the expert only.

How Can Specscart Help?

Specscart not only focuses on adding spectacular spectacles to your ensemble at super affordable prices, but it also takes steps to keep your eyes healthy and safe. How do we do that? Well, to start with, Specscart adds a layer of anti-glare, anti-UV and scratch-resistant coatings on every pair of eyeglasses you buy with us. That too, at no extra charge.

We also offer anti-blue light glasses made with advanced X-blue lenses that shield your eyes from the ill effects of blue light. You can bless your eyesight by just choosing the digital blue light protection option while opting for coatings before you finalise your order and we help you get magnificent and soldier-like anti-blue light glasses at affordable rates.

Guess what? You can bless your eyesight by just choosing the digital blue light protection option while opting for coatings before you finalise your order and we help you get magnificent and soldier-like anti-blue light glasses at affordable rates.

What else? Specscart offers photochromic lenses which can be used as an alternative to prescription sunglasses and eyeglasses if you like. Photochromic lenses can save you from the hassle of switching between pairs of eyewear when going indoors and outdoors again and again. Plus, the eyewear will help you get through photophobia (sensitivity towards light) if you are experiencing it with any kind of eye issue. The pain caused when your eyes become sensitive to light can be quite uncomfortable and will make you weak mentally. Opting for glasses that can help subside some pain will give you the mental strength to go through an eye issue and you’ll be able to get your eyes back in the healthy state in no time.