Eye Infections

Symptoms

• Redness: The white of the eye or inner eyelid looks pink or red from irritated, dilated blood vessels.
• Discharge: Watery, yellow, green, or crusty discharge that may glue the eyelids shut, especially after sleep.
• Itching or burning: A gritty, scratchy, or burning feeling, common with allergic or viral conjunctivitis.
• Eyelid swelling: Puffy, swollen eyelids or a tender red lump on the lid, such as a stye.
• Excess tearing: Watering as the eye tries to flush out irritation or infection.
• Light sensitivity: Discomfort in bright light (photophobia), which can signal involvement of the cornea.
• Blurred vision: Cloudy or reduced vision, often from discharge but sometimes from a corneal infection.
• Foreign-body sensation: A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the eye.

When It's an Emergency

Come straight to Bellaire ER — open 24/7 — for sudden or rapid vision loss or an eye injury or chemical splash. Call 911 if eye symptoms come with a severe headache, confusion, or one-sided weakness, which can signal a stroke rather than a simple infection.

Come to Bellaire ER right away for severe eye pain, marked light sensitivity, or a red eye with blurred or decreased vision. These can point to a corneal ulcer, a herpes eye infection, or an infection inside the eye that can permanently damage sight.

Contact-lens wearers should be evaluated urgently for any painful, red, or light-sensitive eye, because bacterial and other corneal infections can progress quickly and threaten vision.

Seek emergency care if the eyelid and surrounding skin become red, hot, swollen, and painful, if the eye bulges, or if eye movement becomes limited or painful, especially with fever. This may be orbital cellulitis, a serious infection behind the eye that needs IV antibiotics.

When It's Not an Emergency

Most cases of pink eye (viral or bacterial conjunctivitis), styes, and mild eyelid irritation are not emergencies. Vision stays normal, pain is mild, and the main symptoms are redness, itching, watering, or crusty discharge.

These cases are often well suited to telemedicine or urgent care. A clinician can review your symptoms, identify the likely cause, and prescribe antibiotic drops or ointment when appropriate, or advise supportive care for viral pink eye, which usually clears on its own.

Helpful home measures while you arrange care include warm or cool compresses, gentle eyelid cleaning, avoiding contact lenses and eye makeup, and frequent handwashing, since many eye infections are contagious.

If mild symptoms worsen, pain increases, or your vision changes, move up to in-person or emergency evaluation.

What Happens at Bellaire ER

At Bellaire ER, a board-certified emergency physician examines your eye, checks your vision, and inspects the surface of the eye, often using fluorescein dye and a light to reveal scratches, ulcers, or corneal infection.

Depending on your symptoms, we can measure eye pressure, remove a foreign body, and start prescription antibiotic or antiviral treatment on site. On-site lab testing is available if a broader infection is a concern.

We diagnose and treat in a single visit, and most patients go home the same day with a clear treatment plan. If your condition needs an ophthalmologist or specialty care, we arrange urgent referral and explain exactly what to watch for.

Prevention

Wash your hands often and avoid touching or rubbing your eyes, since many eye infections spread from the hands.

If you wear contact lenses, follow the recommended cleaning and replacement schedule, do not sleep in lenses unless they are prescribed for that use, and never rinse or store lenses in tap water.

Do not share towels, washcloths, eye makeup, or contact-lens cases, and replace eye makeup regularly. Remove makeup before sleep.

During an active infection, wash pillowcases and towels frequently, avoid close contact when advised, and discard any eye cosmetics used while you were infected.