Have you woken up feeling fine, but two puffy, red eyes are staring back at you in the mirror? Have you arrived at a special event or travel destination feeling exhilarated, but your watery, irritated eyes make you look miserable? Are you curious why the whites of your eyes look more like a soft shade of buttercup?

Don’t worry! You’re not alone.

At Clear Eyes®, we celebrate your amazing eyes every day, but we also know when they aren’t looking and feeling right, you want answers to your ocular frustrations. Even though your eyes are uniquely yours, many people tend to have the similar eye care questions.

Today we’re going to take a look at the most common eye-related questions you’ve probably Googled. 

“Why are my eyes red?” and “Why are my eyes burning?”

These are among the top questions people Google, because red and burning eyes are simply no fun. Not only do they look bad and prevent you from presenting your best self to the world, but they’re also uncomfortable and painful. Unhappy-looking red eyes – or bloodshot eyes – can keep you from enjoying your normal activities, be it work or play.

So why do we get red eyes? Red eyes can be triggered by a variety of eye-unfriendly conditions like a lack of sleep, allergens, too much screen time, eye fatigue, dry environments, airplane travel, activities in the sun or wind. The list goes on and on.

Your eyes look red due to the tiny blood vessels on the surface of your eyes. When your cornea (eye tissue) doesn’t get enough oxygen, those blood vessels become enlarged. In most cases, red eyes are not harmful and can be soothed with OTC eye drops like Clear Eyes® for Redness Relief  that quickly help constrict the blood vessels and lubricate your eyes to ease symptoms.

Sometimes red eyes feel even worse than they look. Burning or stinging is a very common symptom that accompanies red, irritated eyes. Symptoms of dry eyes include burning, so in order to get complete relief, you need to ease your dry eyes.

When your eyes are dry, your lacrimal glands kick into overdrive to produce more tears. This is a natural reflex in your body that’s intended to “fix” the problem. What ends up happening is your eyes continue to feel dry, but they start watering too, which amplifies the burning sensation. Since it’s human nature to wipe or rub watery eyes, you make things worse by touching or rubbing the sensitive skin around your eyes.

Your natural tears provide temporary relief, but an OTC eye drop like Clear Eyes® Advanced Dry & Itchy Relief  will give your eyes the extra boost of moisture they need to stop the cycle of dryness and burning.

“Why do my eyes hurt?”

Sometimes redness and irritation are not your main eye care concerns. You want to know why your eyes hurt and how to make it stop. This type of “hurt” is not due to something being in your eye or pain on the surface. It’s a discomfort deeper in the eye or in the area “behind” your eyes.

It’s not a sharp pain, but a dull, achy sensation that makes your eyes feel tired or overworked. All you really want to do is close them; because that’s the only way they feel comfortable. And that’s probably exactly what you should do, because your symptoms could be caused by eyestrain, also called tired eyes.

Eyestrain can occur due to too much screen time, focus fatigue from staring at a computer, working in bad lighting and driving long distances. Anything you do that doesn’t give your eyes a break can cause that achy sensation or the feeling that you can’t keep your eyes open. Taking a screen/device break every 20 minutes, blinking slowly or resting your eyes is the best way to ease symptoms. 

“Why are my eyes watery?”

Watery eyes can be an annoying and problematic symptom, which is why it’s also a top Google search about eye care. The main issue with watery eyes is once they start watering, it seems impossible to make them stop. Dabbing your eyes with a tissue or wiping them doesn’t help.

If you have watery eyes, your eyes are producing too many tears in an effort to moisturize them. Think of it as part of your body’s natural defense system. But when you have dry eyes, those tears aren’t substantial enough to provide relief. Your natural tears consist of the perfect combination of oils, mucus and secretions. When working properly, every blink provides a fresh blanket of moisture.

You can ease symptoms of watery eyes with our Clear Eyes® Complete 7 Symptom Relief. It does exactly what the name says, by easing 7 symptoms: red, dry, itchy, gritty, irritated, burning and watery eyes.

“Why are my eyes puffy?”

This is a common question, because even with the brightest of eyes, if they look puffy, you don’t feel at the top of your game. Puffy eyes can be blamed on all sorts of things, but if you just woke up and you’re wondering how to ease symptoms, there are a few things you can do.

The tissue around your eyes is sensitive to changes in your body, diet, stress level and environment. Whether it’s from a lack of sleep, seasonal allergies, too much fun, crying or eating too many salty foods, you can ease puffy eyes with non-prescription eye drops, like Clear Eyes®, and a cool compress.

Let’s say you’re slightly dehydrated or your salt balance is off a bit. For some people, these changes can be seen in the eye tissue below your eyes or even on the tissue above your eyes. The result is puffy looking eyes. If it happens in the morning, swelling should naturally subside simply by being upright if there are no underlying causes like illness or infection.

“Why aren’t my eyes white?”

Have you ever wondered why the whites of your eyes aren’t gleaming white? It’s actually a commonly Googled eye care concern! There are different reasons why the whites of your eyes may not look as bright as you think they should. If they appear to be dull or yellowish, it’s time to give them some extra TLC.

The white part of your eye is called the sclera. It’s serves as a tougher, protective layer of your eye to protect it and help it keep its structure. The sclera is made up of collagen and fibers that have some elasticity. What’s interesting about the sclera is your overall diet and healthy lifestyle choices can help keep the yellowish tinge of color out of sight.

No, there isn’t an eye-whitening solution for your eyes like there are for your teeth – although people have Googled that. The best way to keep your eyes bright and beautiful is to focus on eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like kale and spinach. Go easy on alcohol, refined sugars and caffeine.

Do you have an eye care question you’d like to ask? Let us know in the comments section on the Clear Eyes® Facebook page .