Have you ever thought why do I get red eyes after bath and how can I get rid of them? This article is all about red eyes after shower and its remedies. but first, we will discuss the reasons for red eyes after shower.
Red Eyes after Shower
Red eyes or bloodshot eyes after a shower usually are not a reason to worry, they’re not life-threatening. It is an infection in which the oxygen supply to the eye is declined. It may be due to irritation. Red eyes are a symptom of many diseases. But red eyes after taking a bath are absolutely normal for most people.
Reasons for Getting Red Eyes From Shower
Most common reason behind red eyes after shower is the pH of tears is different from the pH of water and once water enter inside your eyes it changes the pH of tears and you get red eyes after shower. Also, viruses, bacteria, pollens, or dust when reaching the eye it activates the body’s immune response. T cells in most cells of the immune system in reaction to the foreign particle produce anti-inflammatory proteins to destroy the particles.
The anti-inflammatory protein includes neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes. First, they surround irritating particles and then destroy them by engulfing them. When the foreign particles are destroyed clotting factors are released in the eye resulting in redness of the eyes.
Depending on the severity apart from redness of the eye, foreign particles can also cause impaired vision, pain, irritation, watery discharge, eyestrain, and photosensitivity. The foreign particles may present in your shower water, shampoo, or face wash that enters your eye and causes red eyes after shower.
Apart from showering, bloodshot can be caused by contact lenses, or over-exposure to mobile, laptops, and sunlight. The redness of the eye is caused by less blood supply to the anterior portion of the eyeball.
Symptoms of Red Eyes after Shower
Following are the most common symptoms of bloodshot eyes after a shower
- Irritation
- pain
- greasy eyelashes
- burning sensation
- photosensitivity
- Blur vision
- eye discomfort
- eye strain
Causes of the Red Eye after Shower
There are many reasons for causing red eye after showering. You may also feel irritation and itchiness.
Water Temperature
The water temperature can also cause red eyes after a shower. Although showering with hot water can relax your body. But if you shower with extra warm water then water temperature results in expanding blood vessels and causing redness of the eye.
A steam bath from hot water can lead to red eyes. If you do not want to burn your eyes while showering then make sure that the water temperature is not extremely hot.
Purity of Shower Water
Even if you do not use chemical products, you can suffer from red eyes after bathing because of water. The showering water can have contaminants that you cannot see. They can affect the sensitive areas of your body like the eyes.
Let’s discuss some of these water contaminants
- Minerals
Your eyes can become red after showering if the water contains hard minerals. If your water is hard water it may contain minerals like calcium, magnesium, Ferrous, iron, and other salts.
When you will take shower the water will enter your eyes and these hardness minerals can cause irritation. The hardness minerals can also make your eyes itchy, red, and dry.
- Chlorine
The tap water mostly consists of chlorine. Although chlorine is a disinfectant but since it is a chemical it can cause redness in the eyes. Chlorine can cause a burning sensation when chlorinated water enters your eye.
- Foreign particles
Tap water may also contain foreign particles that can irritate your eyes. If you are allergic to water contaminants it can lead to red and irritated eyes. Not just dust, tap water also contains algae, dirt, and germs in it. When you will rub your eyes the contaminants will enter your eyes causing irritation and redness.
Shampoo
Shower products like shampoo and conditioner can easily cause bloodshot eyes. If shampoo enters your eyes or you rub your eyes while shampooing your hair the chemical in it can cause redness and irritation.
Face Wash
The face wash is also made up of chemicals. While washing your face accidentally if your facial foam enters your eyes it can cause irritation and redness.
Effective Tips to Get Rid of Red Eyes after Shower
How to get rid of red eyes after shower? This question is very common. If you are suffering from bloodshot eyes after a shower then there are many things you are doing wrong. Let us give you some tips and tricks through which you can say goodbye to red eyes after a shower.
- Use Home-made Eyewash
Homemade eyewash is very useful in removing foreign particles, pollens, salt, and dust. It relieves your eye from redness, itchiness, irritation, and pain. Take one cup of boiled water or distilled water. Add half a teaspoon of salt to it.
It is a pH-balanced saline solution that will help in cleaning your eye. It performs the same function as tears. But make sure that you keep it in an airtight container because contamination can occur and lead to further irritation of your eyes.
- Cool Compress
If you want to treat irritation, redness, swelling, and itchiness of your eyes then applying a cool compress is the best solution. Water should be clean and the water should be sweet or distilled water to avoid further damage to your eyes. The temperature should not be extremely cold to prevent damage to the eyes.
- Distilled Water
Water can remove foreign particles and irritants from the eye. Since water consists of hardness minerals it can lead to further irritation and redness. Therefore, it is best to use sweet water or distilled water for taking shower if you want to prevent redness of the eyes.
- Warm Compress
If a cool compress is not working for you then you should be using a warm compress. Soak a clean towel in warm water and apply it to your eyes. The water should be distilled. The warm temperature produces oil in the eyes resulting in increased lubrication. It also increases the blood flow.
- Artificial Tears
Although it is a temporary solution artificial tears can help in reducing irritation and redness of the eyes. It lubricates the eyes and reduces dryness.
- Solve Water Contaminant Issue
If you want a permanent solution to your problem then changing your shower water is the only thing you can do to prevent red eye after showering. For example, if your water has excess chlorine in it then you should use a carbon filter or reverse osmosis system to remove it.
If you desire to remove hardness minerals from your shower water then you should install a water softener. A water softener is a filtration system that removes calcium and magnesium from the tapwater.
If you’re showering water consists of dust or any foreign particles then you should install a filtration system to remove it. There are two types of filtration systems one you can install only for the shower and the other you can install for the whole house filtration.
Final Words
Most of the time red eyes after shower should not be a matter of stress. But if it happens to you on a regular basis then it is possible that it can lead to eye issues. It is best to find the reason why your eyes are red after shower and how you can get rid of it.
