Eye infections, allergies and injuries: symptoms and treatment options
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Infections and inflammatory conditions affecting the eye surface and surrounding tissues, including conjunctivitis and eye injuries.
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Quick answer
Infections and inflammatory conditions affecting the eye surface and surrounding tissues, including conjunctivitis and eye injuries.
General educational information about a subject, not an assessment of your own eyes. Suitability and treatment decisions are made by a qualified ophthalmologist who has examined you.
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Eye infections, allergies and injuries
Infections and inflammatory conditions affecting the eye surface and surrounding tissues, including conjunctivitis and eye injuries.
Also known as eye infections, allergies and injuries
Questions about Eye infections, allergies and injuries
Each answer below is the short version; the question links to the page that carries it in full, with sources.
- What is conjunctivitis?
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the clear membrane covering the white of the eye and the inside of the eyelids. It can be infective, allergic or irritant, and the treatment differs substantially between those.
- When is a red eye urgent?
A red eye needs urgent assessment when it is accompanied by significant pain, reduced vision, light sensitivity, a feeling that something is stuck in the eye, or contact lens wear.
- Can contact lenses cause eye infections?
Yes. Contact lens wear is a recognised risk factor for corneal infection, and the risk rises sharply with overnight wear, with tap water contact and with poor lens case hygiene.
- What is a stye or chalazion?
A stye is an infection at the base of an eyelash, and a chalazion is a blocked oil gland in the eyelid. Both produce a tender or firm lump, and most settle with warm compresses.
- Why are my eyes itchy and watery?
Itchy, watery eyes usually point to allergy rather than infection, and allergy treatment differs from infection treatment. The itch is the distinguishing feature for most people.
- What is blepharitis?
Inflammation of the eyelid margins, usually involving the oil glands that open along the lid edge. It causes crusting, redness, a gritty sensation and fluctuating vision, and it is chronic and managed rather than cured: lid hygiene and warm compresses are the mainstay.
All 34 Eye conditions questions, searchable
Related subjects
- Conjunctivitis
Inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin clear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelid. Often called pink eye.
- Dryness and grittiness
A burning, scratchy or gritty feeling at the front of the eye. It can make vision fluctuate through the day, and it is one of the reasons a surgeon examines the tear film before operating.
- Light sensitivity
Discomfort in ordinary light. It is expected for a short period after refractive surgery and is also a sign of surface problems, so a sudden change is worth having looked at.
- Red or bloodshot eye
A red eye has many causes, most of them minor and self-limiting. Pain, light sensitivity, reduced vision or a red eye with a contact lens in place change the assessment entirely.
- Eye pain
Pain in or around the eye. Surface irritation, a foreign body, an infection and raised pressure feel different from one another, and the character of the pain is part of how it is triaged.
- Contact lenses
Lenses worn on the surface of the eye. They correct the same errors as glasses, and they change the shape of the cornea while worn, which is why wearing has to stop before a surgical measurement.
This page describes what is generally true about eye infections, allergies and injuries. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot say whether a treatment is suitable for you, because suitability depends on measurements taken during an examination.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Eye Health Information Patient information National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (US)
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public Patient information American Academy of Ophthalmology
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Cataracts in adults: management (NG77) Clinical reference National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) · 2017
Clinical guidance on when cataract surgery is indicated, what should be discussed before it, and what follow-up is expected.
Used for When cataract surgery is considered appropriate rather than cosmetic timing; What patients should be told before cataract surgery.
Link checked 23 September 2026