Perhaps you’ve had a sore or itchy eye for a few days, or maybe you’ve woken up this morning with no warning and found that your upper eyelid is swollen. It can be quite worrying when this happens, as you might not know what’s caused it or what to do about it. It can make you feel a little self-conscious if you have to go out into public, and you might find that the swelling comes with some pain or discomfort too.
So hopefully in this article you will find some useful information on swollen upper eyelids that will help you work out what has caused your issue, and how you can treat the condition.
Several different things can cause your upper eyelid to swell and often you have to look at any other symptoms that come with the swelling to work out what the reason is.
A painful red lump (occasionally with a pus-filled whitehead) on the eyelid is likely to be a stye. These are really common and tend to go down after a week or so. They can come with some photosensitivity, watery eyes, and a gritty feeling. If you are diabetic, have rosacea, or wear contact lenses, you are more likely to get a stye.
If your eyelids are both swollen and itchy, this might be caused by allergies. You can get some relief by using an antihistamine eye drop.
Another reason your eyelid may be swollen is Blepharitis, which is a skin condition that causes sore, gritty eyelids that often become puffy and pink.
Conjunctivitis is not as sore as some of the other potential diagnosis but it can cause inflamed puffy, and slightly swollen eyelids
If you’re someone who struggled with their sinus’, you may have noticed that bacterial or viral sinusitis can cause puffy eyelids although they are not usually sore, red, or itchy, so if you find yourself with swollen eyelids and no other eye-related symptoms, it may be an infection in your sinuses.
To ease any discomfort in your swollen eyes, use a clean washcloth that has been run under warm water and use it as a compress onto the area for around 10 minutes, 3 times a day. This should help with the swelling and any pain or discomfort and you can take painkillers too if you feel you need them.
Make sure you keep the area clean from any eye makeup and avoid wearing contact lenses or touching your eye area until your eyelid is entirely healed. A lot of these conditions will go away on their own in a few days to a week, however, if you find that your vision is affected, it becomes too painful, the swelling gets worse or it doesn’t get better after a week, you should go and see an eye doctor as soon as possible. You may need antibiotics or further treatment to reduce the swelling and deal with the underlying issue.
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