Iritis or uveitis: An inflammation inside your eye from trauma, infections, or problems with your immune system. You need treatment ASAP to prevent blindness. Symptoms include severe eye pain, nausea and vomiting, headache, and worsening vision. But a type called acute angle-closure glaucoma causes pressure inside your eye to rise suddenly. Most of the time there are no early symptoms. If you don’t treat it, you could lose your sight. Glaucoma: This family of conditions causes fluid to build up in your eye. If you don’t get it out, it can scratch your eye. Try to rinse it out with artificial tears or water. You may be more likely to get it if you leave your contacts in overnight or wear dirty lenses.įoreign bodies: Something in your eye, like a bit of dirt, can irritate it. It should get better in a couple of days without further problems.Ĭorneal infections (keratitis): An inflamed or infected cornea is sometimes caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Your doctor will give you antibiotic drops. You can scratch your eye while rubbing it. This condition is typically not painful.Ĭorneal abrasions: That’s the official name for a scratch on this part of your eye. This makes the part of your eye that’s usually white look red. It can be from allergies or infections (viral or bacterial). Eyelids: Outside coverings that protect and spread moisture over your eyes.īlepharitis: An inflammation or infection of the eyelid which typically is not painfulĬonjunctivitis (pinkeye): This is inflammation of the conjunctiva.Nerves: They carry visual information from your eyes to your brain.Extraocular muscles: They rotate your eye.Orbit: A bony cave (eye socket) in your skull where the eye and its muscles are located.Iris: The colored part of your eye, with the pupil in the middle.Conjunctiva: The ultra-thin covering of your sclera and the inside of your eyelid.Cornea: The clear window in the front of your eye that focuses light.Sometimes discomfort or pain results from a problem in your eye or the parts around it, such as: Your eye doctor can figure out what's going on and find the right treatment for you. Sometimes they get better on their own, but they can also be a sign of something more serious. Nearly everyone has had sore eyes at some point.