Stinging Eyes: What May Be Causing It And How To Treat It

Stinging and burning of the eyes is not a good thing, even if the cause is a mild one. You could wait to visit your eye doctors' clinic, but chances are good that you could easily diagnose and treat the problem yourself. (There are only a couple exceptions to this rule, and they involve contagious infections that require antibiotics.) Here are some of the more common causes of stinging and burning eyes, and how to treat them.

Allergens

It is possible to have burning sensations in your eyes without the itching, sneezing or watering that comes with an allergy. An "eye-only" reaction to something such as weeds will feel like somebody touched your eyes with a drop of hot sauce, and you will desperately want to flush your eyes with water. An over-the-counter eye drop for allergy eyes will be sufficient in addressing this type of ocular burning.

Splinters

If you work with glass or wood and you have avoided getting splinters of these materials into your eyes, then you know something about what can happen. Even the most careful of people can still get a tiny wood splinter or a fragment of glass caught under the eyelid, and every blink brings a new sensation of burning and stinging pain, like a scorpion's prick.  If you suspect that you may have a splinter of something in your eye, have a friend or family member help you examine your eyelids and eyeball.

A flashlight will glint off of a tiny shard of glass, while the wood  splinter will look more like an eyelash that refuses to move out of the way. As long as the splinter is not embedded, you can use a pair of tweezers to fish it out. If it does appear to be slightly stuck, you should go see an eye doctor, like one from Country Hills Eye Center. If the tweezers spooks you, you could also try an eye-flushing station at work, but be sure to hold your eyelids open or it will not work.

Eye Strain

Eyes that stare at a glaring computer screen or monitor all day will become very sore with a burning sensation throughout. This generally feels like someone is pinching and squeezing your eyeballs from within your own head. The best way to deal with eye strain is to walk away from bright screens and just rest your eyes for a good hour under a warm, dark cloth compress. If that does not work, use some soothing eye drops and rest your eyes some more.