Eye First Aid: What To Do About Styes, Pinkeye and More

6 common (and non-serious) conditions that can affect your eyes, and what to do about each (14 Photos)

Paula Spencer on Jan 26, 2011 at 2:00PM

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Eye First Aid: What To Do About Styes, Pinkeye and More

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What To Do About Styes, Pinkeye and More



A minor eye irritation may not feels minor. Because your eye is packed with sensitive nerves (and is literally your window to the world), it’s obvious when something is amiss. On the other hand, a number of eye diseases have not symptoms at all until significant damage has occurred.

General rule of thumb (beyond getting regular eye exams): “If pain is persistent, if you’re injured, if there’s a change in your vision, pick up the phone,” says ophthalmologist Andrew Iwach, M.D., spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and executive director of the Glaucoma Center of San Francisco.

Here are six of the most common eye afflictions (outside of vision problems) and how to deal with each.

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