Swollen eyes

Swollen eyes mean an excess of fluid (edema) in the connective tissue of the eye, especially in the eyelids.

Swollen eyes do not mean bags under the eyes, an aesthetic disorder caused by the accumulation of fat or fluid under the eyes.
Over the years, the tissue around the eyes gives way, especially for the muscles of the eyelids.

The fat that gives the eye support can migrate forward into the lower eyelids, making the eyes appear swollen.

Causes of swollen eyes

The causes of swollen eyes are many, some are harmless, but others can lead to blindness.
Here are some examples of diseases and circumstances that involve swollen eyes:

• Hailstone (Chalazion)
  A hailstone is caused by the blockage of a meibomian gland; it can arise from an inflamed stye when the glandular canal is clogged and the sebum cannot drain.
  The hailstone develops a hard sebaceous cyst.
  Both gestures and hailstones cause the eyelids to swell, but the wheat grain is usually not painful, although it can cause discomfort and heavy eyelids.
• Cry
  If the eyes swell when crying, there are two reasons for this:
  1. Tears contain a lot of sodium, which has an irritating effect and easily causes inflammation.
  2. When crying, you often rub your eyes, which increases the inflammation.
• Graves’ diseaseHyperthyroidism caused by Graves’ disease is often associated with:
  – swollen eyelids, – protruding eyes,

  – double vision
  – drooping eyelids (ptosis).
  In the morning, the swelling is more pronounced, because when lying down, gravity is missing, which allows the eye fluid to drain downwards.
  5 minutes after getting up, swelling and discomfort subside.

• Pregnancy
• Cycle-related hormone fluctuations
• Glandular fever (mononucleosis, the swollen eyes may be an early symptom of infection)
• medicines (swelling and water retension may occur as a side effect of certain antibiotics)
• Too much iodine in the diet
• Excessive alcohol consumption

Causes of swollen and reddened eyes

• Allergies
  Allergic reactions of the eyes occur when the immune system overreacts to certain substances (allergens).
  Among the most common allergens of the eyes are:
  – pollen, – dust, – animal hair, – certain eye drops, – contact lens fluids, – make-up, – According to the theory of the blood group diet, the allergy is provoked by cereals, sweets, desserts,

  milk and dairy products. According to natural medicine, a vegan/raw food diet without grains can cure the allergy.
  Eye allergies develop when the cells of the eyes release chemical “mediators” to protect themselves from the allergens.
  This includes, first of all, histamine, which causes the following reactions:
  – widening of the blood vessels of the eyes – swelling – itching of the mucous membrane – reddening of the eyes

  – watery eyes
  

• Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis
  , also called “pink eye”, is the inflammation of the conjunctiva – a transparent mucosal coating of the eye.
  There are several types of conjunctivitis:
  – allergic conjunctivitis – bacterial conjunctivitis – viral conjunctivitis

  All can cause swollen eyes; in addition, other typical symptoms may occur, such as increased lacrimation, redness and itching.

• Barley graine (Hordeolum)
  As a rule, a stye appears as a swollen and reddish protrusion on the edge of the eyelid.
  It is caused by a bacterial infection and inflammation of the Zeiss, minor or meibomian glands.
  Inflammation of these glands typically leads to swollen eyelids.
  A stye is usually very sensitive to touch.
• Blepharitis
  Blepharitis is the medical term for inflammation of the eyelids, which is usually caused by a dysfunction of the sebaceous glands, which empty at the base of the eyelashes.
  Blepharitis is characterized by swollen and aching eyelids.
• Dermatitis (sensitive skin that swells due to contact with irritants).

Causes of swollen and painful eyes

• Eye trauma
  A bruise in the eye area (black eye or violet) and trauma caused by cosmetic surgery (blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery) can cause inflammation and swelling of the eyes.
  When diagnosing a black eye, it must be borne in mind that the bruise tends to descend due to gravity. A blow to the forehead near the hairline can provoke a bruise, which is at eye level three days later.
  Therefore, the doctor must know the exact location of the injury, so that there is no confusion between swollen and reddened area.
• Orbital cellulitis Orbital cellulitis
  is a rare but serious bacterial infection of the tissue structures of the eye and causes painful swelling of the upper and lower eyelids, eyebrow and cheeks.
  Other symptoms include:
  – protruding eyes, – loss of vision,
  – fever, – eye pain when moving the eyes.Orbital cellulitis is a medical emergency and often requires antibiotic treatment to prevent damage to the optic nerve,

  permanent blindness and other serious complications. If the infection is limited to the soft tissue of the eyelids, it is called preseptal or preorbital cellulitis. It is not as serious as orbital cellulitis and can usually be treated with a local medication without the need for hospitalization.

• Ocular herpes
  Ocular herpes is transmitted by the common herpes simplex virus and can cause keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) and sometimes fibrosis.
  The symptoms of herpes on the eye are similar to those of conjunctivitis, and there may also be painful, sore spots on the eyelid, cloudy look and eye swelling that can be so severe that vision is impaired.
  Ocular herpes can occur as a mild infection but also as a serious eye problem that can lead to corneal transplantation or even blindness.
• Insect
• Eye tumor (rare)
  Symptoms of an eye tumor include blurred vision or loss of vision; you may also notice structures or spots scurrying through the field of vision.

Causes of swollen and dry eyes

• Sun and wind
  Too much sun can cause a sunburn on the face, which causes the area around the cheekbones, nose, forehead and eyes to swell.
  The wind can irritate the eyes because it is dry and brings dust and sand to the cornea.
• Contact lenses
  Lack of care in handling contact lenses (wearing dirty lenses, swimming with contact lenses, storing the lenses in a dirty container) can cause eye infection and swollen eyelids.
  The use of damaged contact lenses can irritate the eyes and cause swelling.

Symptoms of swollen eyes

Concomitant symptoms of swollen and inflamed eyes include:

1. Unpleasant feeling
2. Redness in and on the eye
3. Secretion formation
4. Eyestrain
5. Itching or burning sensation in the eyes
6. Visual disturbances, double vision or blurred vision (Graves’ disease, orbital cellulitis, ocular herpes, eye tumor)
7. Foreign body sensation in the eye

Diagnosis of swollen eyes

If the swelling persists for more than 24 hours, a doctor should be consulted and an eye exam performed to find out the real cause of the swollen eyes.

Sometimes eye swelling occurs as a symptom of another disease.
Treatment of the underlying disease can also help the swollen eyes.

Natural remedies for swollen eyes

1. Water
   Wash the face with cold water in the morning to relieve swelling, then drink a few glasses of water to hydrate the body.
2. Eye Makeup Removal
   • Use cotton pads and eye make-up remover to remove make-up. If eye make-up gets into the tear duct, inflammation and possibly infection can develop.
   • Dip a cloth or cotton ball in cold water and place on the face for 5-10 minutes.
3. Löffel Two teaspoons can help to decongest the eyes in the short term.
   Place four or six teaspoons in the fridge. When lying down, the cold spoons are placed on the eye with the inner curvature facing down; when they get warm, replace with cold spoons from the refrigerator.
4. Store a gel mask or ice compress in the freezer. Place on the eyes for 10 minutes.
   Caution – ice must not be applied directly to the skin (risk of burns), it must be wrapped in a cloth.
5. A simple and effective remedy is the application of a cold tea bag (chamomile, peppermint, ginseng or black tea) because it smoothes and tightens the skin.
6. Increased sleeping posture: It is quite normal for the eyes to be swollen when you wake up.
   An additional pillow can help with an additional pillow so that the fluid can drain towards the heart at night.
   Those who sleep on their stomach should change their sleeping position and prefer the supine position.
   If you are lying on your side at night, you may notice a noticeable swelling of the lower eye in the morning, because more fluid can accumulate in this position.
   In this case, you can raise the head side of the bed (support under the head-side bed feet).
7. Cool the eyes for about 10 minutes with ice-cold cucumber or potato slices. This tightens the skin around the eyes.
8. In the pharmacy there are special eye pads containing anti-inflammatory agents. Leave on for about 15 minutes.
9. Store eye creams in the refrigerator and tampone above and below the eyelids.
10. Splash the face and eyes with rose water to cause the skin muscles to contract.
11. Salt water. To solve the problem of swollen eyes, dissolve 1/2 tsp of salt in a liter of lukewarm water. Dip two cotton balls or cotton pads in it, place them on the eyelids and remain in this position for 10 minutes. The next morning, the eyes should be swollen.

Diet and nutrition against swollen eyes

According to conventional medicine, it is important to eat decongestant foods and avoid salt.
Fruits and vegetables with diuretic properties are:

• Cabbage
• Fennel
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Watermelon
• Honeydew.

Blood group diet
According to the blood type diet, which could help many people, the swelling is caused by cereals (even gluten-free) and desserts.
Everyone will experience an improvement if they abstain from the following foods:

• sweetened desserts,
• Rice
• Bread
• Noodles
• Biscuits
• Millet
• Spelt
• Barley
• Oats, etc.

The cereals can be replaced by legumes and pseudocereals (quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat), potatoes should also be avoided.

Hygienism and Natural Medicine
According to the vegan diet and raw food diet of natural medicine, swelling is caused by:

1. protein-rich diet (animal proteins),
2. Salt
3. processed and transformed food from the supermarket,
4. sweet grasses (cereals),
5. Sweet.

Foods allowed by nature hygiene are:

1. raw fruit and vegetables,
2. nuts and seeds,
3. Legumes
4. Potatoes;
5. drink distilled water if possible.

Salt
French fries, pepperoni pizza and other particularly salty and spicy foods can promote eye swelling.

Limit alcohol consumption
Alcohol can lead to water retension on the face and also cause dehydration.
Alcohol consumption should be reduced to 1 or 2 glasses once or twice a week.
Increased alcohol consumption leads to a softening of the skin around the eyes.

• Burning eyes
• Red eyes
• Swollen lip