My husband (65) has an occasional red eye, often when standing up. Sometimes it itches. We went to the emergency room once, but it turned out that nothing was wrong. When should you really be concerned?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
With a red eye, there are really only three real alarms: pain, impaired or inability to see, and inability to tolerate the light. These are indications of an inflammation in the eye that can cause permanent damage, or of an acute increase in pressure in the eye (acute glaucoma).
Other reasons for having one eye looked directly at are seeing sudden flashes of light and double vision in one eye. Your eye does not have to be red. If you have got something in your eye, it is often wise to have it looked at, unless it is a loose piece of dirt that you can remove.
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