The most common cause of swollen eyelids is an inflammatory process or excess fluid in the tissue surrounding the eye. In people, this symptom is called quite simply. When it occurs, it is said that a person has swollen eyes, although the tissues that surround him are meant.
Swollen eyelids can be painful or not. It can develop near one eye or near both at the same time. Also, a similar pathology is observed on the upper or lower eyelid, and maybe both at once.
There can be many reasons for puffy eyes. The most common are various infections and allergic reactions. But sometimes the causes of eyelid edema become more serious ailments, which sometimes threaten vision, and sometimes even life. These include ocular herpes, which affects the nerve endings, orbital cellulitis, which is a severe inflammatory process, and Graves' disease, which is an inherited immune disease.
If swelling of the eyelids above or below the eyes does not go away withinfor a long time, and their symptoms are constantly increasing, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist for a thorough examination.
Associated symptoms
Edema of the eyelids under the eyes and above them is only one of the signs of the main cause of the pathology. In this case, the patient may observe one or more symptoms from the list below:
- eye irritation in the form of tingling or itching;
- increased tearing;
- difficulty in the vision process, the degree of which depends on tissue swelling;
- eyelid redness;
- conjunctival inflammation and red eyes;
- peeling or dry skin of the eyelids;
- pain, which is most often present when the swelling is caused by an infection.
Types of edema
Based on the cause of eyelid swelling may be:
- Inflammatory. Such swelling is accompanied by fever, redness, and painful sensations when touching the skin of the eyelids.
- Non-inflammatory. With this type of swelling, the color of the skin of the eyelid remains normal. There are no signs of pain in this case. Non-inflammatory edema most often appears in the morning on the lower eyelid. Their causes are usually diseases of the urinary or cardiovascular system.
- Allergic (angioedema). This type of pathology occurs suddenly and, as a rule, on one upper eyelid. Such edema has a significant size, sometimes accompanied by itching and pallor of the skin. Factors that provoke allergicreaction, are cosmetics or medicines, flowering plants, foods, dust, insect bites, animal hair and other irritants.
Causes of puffiness
Why do eyelids swell? Sometimes such swelling occurs due to factors that do not pose any danger to he alth. This may be, for example, a large amount of liquid drunk at night, excessive consumption of canned or s alty foods, eye fatigue. Such reasons cause both bilateral and unilateral processes. The development of one or another variant will depend on the anatomical features of the structure of the skin area around the eyes.
In addition, swelling of the eyelid occurs for reasons:
- Development of inflammatory diseases of infectious and viral nature. It could be influenza, acute respiratory infections, SARS, conjunctivitis.
- Occurrence of diseases of the digestive, genitourinary, endocrine, cardiovascular systems.
- Injuries caused by temperature, chemical or mechanical damage.
- Not getting enough rest.
- Violations of sanitary and hygienic norms.
- Unbalanced diet.
- Lack of vitamins and excess of s alts.
- Intracranial pressure.
- Incorrect head position while sleeping.
Why does eyelid edema occur in one eye? Consider the diseases of the organs of vision, which are characterized by this symptom.
Barley
Edema of the eyelid in one eye with such a disease looks like a reddish swollen lump in the place where it isciliary follicle. This pathology is caused by the penetration of a bacterial infection, which leads to blockage of the meibomian glands and their subsequent inflammation.
Swelling of the eyelid in one eye is a typical symptom of blockage of these sebaceous glands. In such situations, patients complain about the presence of pain. They have redness of the skin around the eye, an increase in body temperature, which is accompanied by a feverish state. Barley can be localized at one point or cause swelling of the entire eyelid. In this case, the painful area is soft to the touch. Puffiness subsides after the already ripe abscess opens and purulent contents come out of it.
Conjunctivitis
Swelling of the eyelid in one eye can be caused by one of the most common problems. This disease is called conjunctivitis. It can develop for various reasons, but its main symptom invariably becomes mild or severe swelling of the eyelid.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the mucous surface of the eyes and can be allergic, viral or bacterial. In addition to swelling of the eyelid, it is accompanied by symptoms such as itching, redness and discharge. Sometimes the disease develops in one eye. But, as a rule, both visual organs are affected either simultaneously, or with a small difference of one or two days.
Dacryocystitis
The reason that the eyelid of one eye is swollen can be an obstruction of the lacrimal canal. Such a disease is almostalways develops in one eye only.
The disease proceeds in an acute or chronic form. In the first case, the puffiness of the eyelid has a rather impressive size. In its chronic form, they are moderate. In addition to swelling, dacryocystitis is accompanied by the release of purulent masses from the affected canal.
Blepharitis
The unilateral form of this disease is quite common. It manifests itself in the form of damage to the ciliary part of the eyelid by bacterial infections (Staphylococcus aureus). At the same time, in addition to swelling, the patient complains of redness of the eye and the occurrence of pain in it. Eyelashes fall out on the affected eyelid.
Allergy
Sometimes the human immune system overreacts to a foreign substance called an allergen. Animal hair, pollen, some types of eye drops, contact lenses and solutions for them can serve as such an element.
Sometimes low-quality cosmetics cause allergies. The body shows its reaction in connection with the production of so-called mediators. They should protect him from those substances to which he is sensitive. The most common mediator is histamine. It causes the blood vessels in the eye to swell and expand, causes itching on the mucous membranes, and makes the eyelids swollen and red.
Chalazion
This type of inflammation, like stye, is caused by blockage of the meibomian glands. Its main symptom is swelling of the eyelid. At the first stage of its development, the disease is very similar to barley. Howeversubsequently, if left untreated, the tumor develops into sebaceous hard cysts. Another difference from barley lies in the fact that the chalazion first develops away from the edge of the eyelid, and only then approaches it. Pathology is accompanied by swelling of the eyelid, as well as pain in the affected area.
Puffiness above the eyes
In the absence of inflammatory processes, swelling of the eyelids can cause the following pathologies:
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, blood vessels, heart, and kidneys, which are acute or chronic;
- neoplasms of malignant and benign type.
Swelling of the upper eyelid of one eye is possible due to an allergic reaction. It can be caused by foods or external irritants.
The cause of swelling of the eyelid above the eye can also be the accumulation of adipose tissue in the subcutaneous layer. Treatment in this case is possible only by surgical intervention.
Puffiness under the eyes
Most often the cause of this pathology are diseases of the internal organs. To a greater extent, such swelling of the eyelids of the eyes occurs in the morning. It is caused by a disease of the cardiovascular system or kidneys, impaired lymph flow or severe hypothyroidism, as well as ailments of the thyroid glands. Sometimes the causes of puffiness under the eyes are bad habits, poor diet or the use of low-quality cosmetics.
In most cases, such manifestations are bilateral, but sometimes they appear on the same eyelid.
Puffiness inmorning hours
Swelling of the eyes after waking up may occur only occasionally or be systematic. Rare edema is most often caused by:
- Non-compliance with fluid intake and nutrition. This includes excessive consumption of spicy, spicy and s alty foods. Edema of the eyelids in the morning occurs when alcoholic beverages or large amounts of liquid are taken in the evening hours.
- Insomnia and fatigue.
- Incorrect body position during night rest.
- Applying oily creams around the eyes.
To relieve the condition, it is recommended to take a diuretic and apply a cold compress to the eyes.
If swelling of the eyelids in the morning hours are permanent, then their cause is likely to be diseases of the genitourinary, digestive, cardiovascular or endocrine systems. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a doctor who should be consulted.
Puffiness after tattoo
Any cosmetic that is applied to the eyelid is superimposed on the surface layer of the skin. And if it is chosen correctly and is of high quality, then it will not cause any inflammatory processes in the area around the eyes.
As for the tattoo, it is a microinjection containing a permanent dye. They injure the surface of the skin, violating its integrity. The affected area sometimes swells and turns red. Damaged skin becomes easily accessible to various infections. That is why after the procedure forshe needs careful care in the form of treatment with restorative and antibacterial agents.
After tattooing, swelling sometimes develops on the eyelids, the causes of which can be:
- allergic reactions to the injected composition;
- poor pigment quality;
- individual intolerance to the administered substance;
- violation of sanitary standards during the procedure.
If the swelling of the eyelids persists for more than a day, then such a reaction may indicate the development of complications and the onset of inflammation.
Treatment
How to eliminate swelling of the eyelid? Treatment in each case will depend on the causes of the pathology. Most often, conservative therapy, cosmetics, and folk remedies are used to eliminate edema.
Treatment of pathology with the help of pharmaceuticals is carried out:
- in the case of infectious processes - antiviral agents and antibiotics in the form of ointments, drops or tablets;
- for allergic edema - anti-inflammatory and antihistamines;
- with non-inflammatory edema, their elimination will be facilitated by a good sleep, a reduction in s alt and fluid intake, as well as a rejection of bad habits, but if the ailment does not recede, then its cause is most likely an internal disease, which will require treatment.
In cases where swelling of the eyelids is only a cosmetic problem, it is recommended to use special masks and creams.
Good effectwill be obtained during physiotherapy procedures. Among them are mesotherapy, electrical stimulation, various types of massage. Such procedures will remove excess fluid from the area around the eyes and activate the outflow of lymph. This will reduce tissue swelling.
Traditional medicine recommends quickly removing puffiness of the eyelids by applying heaps of ice, mugs of fresh cucumber, and raw potatoes to them. You can put ordinary spoons on your eyes, after holding them for 10 minutes in the freezer.
Prevention
In order to prevent swelling of the eyelids, a person should stop drinking alcohol and smoking, do not eat a lot of pickled, spicy and s alty foods, especially in the evening. It is important for women to be choosy when choosing decorative cosmetics and be sure to wash off the makeup applied for the day before going to bed.
It is also necessary to protect the eyes from mechanical damage and ultraviolet radiation, to monitor the work of the heart, blood vessels and kidneys, to treat infectious diseases in time.
