Problem: I have red, bloodshot eyes that just look awful. It seems to have nothing to do with sleep and I don’t drink alcohol, so what am I doing wrong, or, better yet, what should I be doing right?
Solution: Many things can cause the blood vessels in the eye to swell and look more obvious. Lack of sleep and alcohol consumption are only two possibilities; there are lots more. For example, contact lenses, exposure to smoke, rubbing the eyes, allergies, dry air (from heat or air-conditioning), makeup particles getting in the eye and causing irritation, bad pollution days, staring at a project or computer monitor all day without giving your eyes a break, and overusing redness-relieving eyedrops can all make the tiny blood vessels in the eye look like roadmaps.
A humidifier in your home or office can help, and so can remembering to blink regularly during the day, especially when working at the computer. Not wearing contact lenses all day, using antihistamines for allergies, keeping your hands away from your eyes, and zealously keeping makeup out of your eyes are all exceptionally helpful. To reduce dryness, the “natural” tear products and eyewashes found at the drugstore are a great option (but use only disposable eyecups; repeatedly using the same eyecup can cause or aggravate problems such as eye infections or irritation). Avoid “gets the red out” eyedrops such as Visine, which if used repeatedly can actually aggravate the problem by causing a rebound effect, making the blood vessels swell even more (Sources: Visine product warning label; Ophthalmology, November 1991, pages 1364-1367). You would want to use Visine-type products only occasionally, not as a regular routine.