You don’t have to suffer the red eye if you can help it.
Majority of people have experienced red eyes at some point. A condition best described as red, inflamed eyes. The appearance of red eye varies in severity from a bright pink to a deep red.
The symptoms are typically short-lived but very annoying, although not usually considered dangerous.
Little wonder then that the modus operandi for most people is to go for over-the-counter eye drops to treat the symptoms.
However, it is probably a good idea to first visit your eye doctor for a correct diagnosis before treating just the symptoms.
The effects of the red eye range from mild causes such as allergic reactions, eye fatigue, contact lenses, computer vision syndrome and, even conjunctivitis or “pink eye” to more severe conditions such as corneal ulcer and ocular herpes.
As the causes of red eye vary, so do the treatments. Most remedies range from a good old rest, cold compresses over your eyes to over-the-counter eye drops.
Severe red eye cases need treatment such as antibiotics or even surgery.
However, it is important to first visit your eye doctor to determine the cause of your red eye.
It is also important to avoid rubbing your eyes with your hands or fingers as they may have irritants that will further inflame them. This may cause your eyes to be more reddish and irritated.
You can clear a red eye caused by an allergic reaction, by either getting an eye drop or tablets over the counter.
You do not need to get a  prescription from a doctor for these.
They essentially work by cleaning the eyes off allergens and also substituting your tears so your eyes remain moist as usual.
Some home remedies that may also alleviate the red eye include dabbing your eyes with plain, clean warm water using cotton wool balls.
Avoid wearing contact lenses if your eyes are still red. This also applies to eye make up.
Doctors also recommend the “20-20-20 rule” to allow your eyes breaks away from a computer screen thus minimize effects of the red eye.
The computer vision syndrome is caused by looking at your computer screen for too long.
If you use your computer for extended periods in a day, you may have likely experienced burning sensation and tiredness in the eyes.
This is because when using your computer, you tend to stare more and not blink as much as other times.
This eventually dries out the eye’s exterior film.
Wearing glasses designed to minimize computer glare or applying moistening eye drops to keep your eyes from drying goes a long way in easing the discomfort.
But perhaps the best and most recommended is taking regular pauses away from the computer screen as you work.
Doctors recommend the 20-20-20 rule where you physically move away from the computer screen on 20 minutes intervals, focus on a distant item that is 20 feet from you,  for around 20 seconds.
Granted it is sometimes not easy to take breaks away from the computer as most people say they tend to lose focus of what they were doing with constant interruptions.
Computer programs like Iris give an alternative to the breaks.
It essentially locks your computer screen and disables your keyboard literally forcing you to look away from your computer, get up and take a break.
The software works with a timer that once you set at every 30 minutes or 1 hour, it disables your computer for up to 5 to 7 minutes.
In effect, once you install the Iris software, it reminds you to take short breaks from working on the computer.
It even detects your blink rate, adjusts your computer’s screen temperatures to the various times of the day and, controls the brightness level of your screen.