They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, which means they’re very telling when it comes to your personality and emotions. As it turns out, the eyes can clue us in on a little bit more than what mood we’re in at the moment — they can give us warning signs about some serious (and not-so-serious) health issues.

Ever wondered what’s going on when you notice a lump on your eyelid of a little bit of a blur in vision? Check out these seven things that your eyes are trying to tell you when they exhibit these signs.

1. Redness

Eye redness can reveal itself in varying levels of severity. Seeing just a dot of bloody redness on the white on your eye can be a scary thing to see, but more than likely this is only a bruise beneath the surface of the eye, also known as a subconjunctival hemorrhage.

This hemorrhage should heal on its own in a few days, just be careful around that eye until the bruise has gone away. If the bruise persists for more than week, see your eye doctor.

Widespread redness is most likely associated with allergies, especially if the eyes are itchy and dry, too. If this redness is consistent and has not gone away in 10 days, call your doctor for a prescription.

2. Discharge

The truth behind your eye discharge can usually be riddled out depending on what other symptoms come along with it. For instance, a watery eye discharge generally means that the eye has been irritated somehow, most likely by an allergen like dust.

However, if the discharge is a white or yellow color, comes with a crustiness on the lids, itchiness, and a bloodshot appearance, this is most likely a viral infection like pink eye. Viruses like this are VERY infectious, so make sure to be wary of who you’re coming into contact with and get on some antibiotics ASAP.

Noticing blurriness, loss of vision, severe pain, or light sensitivity? This is probably a more severe (but still easily treatable) eye infection that you should take right to your optometrist.

3. Twitch

An eyelid twitch is common and annoying but not usually serious. It’s called eyelid myokymia, something which studies have found isn’t caused by any one direct thing. It may be linked to caffeine intake (usually too much), stress, or too little sleep. The solution is simple: you need to make some lifestyle changes in those areas!

If the twitch is continuous for more than a week or if other parts of your face start twitching, bring this to your doctor.

4. Drooping

If you’re noticing your vision is becoming hindered, not by your eyesight but by a blockage in front of your eyes, this could be your eyelids drooping. This is something that happens as we age when our eyelids become thinner and lose their collagen; this is called ptosis or blepharoptosis.

Ptosis should not occur if you’re younger. If it is, take the condition to your doctor. In severe cases, the drooping eyelid can cover all or part of the pupil and interfere with vision in one or both eyes.

5. Yellowness

When the whites of your eye are taking on a yellowish hue, this is almost always associated with liver damage, most likely a disease called jaundice. Both adults and newborns with undeveloped liver function may face jaundice.

Yellowness may also be connected with the state of a gallbladder or bile ducts, which can interfere with digestive health. If you notice this yellowing, bring it to your doctor straight away.

6. Bulging

Some of us have bigger eyes, myself included. But there’s a difference between having large eyes and having eyes that bulge. Bulging is when our eyes seem to expand outside of our lids, or at least to a larger size than they usually are.

This can be a symptom of thyroid (or Graves) eye disease, which means your thyroid is overactive. Difficulties closing the eyes is another symptom of a malfunctioning thyroid; this only occurs in 30% of cases, so if you notice this symptom, call your doctor immediately.

7. Lumps

One of the most obvious eye signs is a lump on the eyelid. Whether it’s red, white, or flesh-colored, no one wants to be sporting a lump where people are looking all day long, especially not if the lump is painful.

However, the odds are that this is a harmless thing called a “stye.” Styes are a result of your oil glands on the eyes getting clogged, infecting your eyelash follicles.

To ease the pain, place a warm, use a moist compress on the most tender part of the bump five or six times a day. You can also wash your eyelashes once a day with a few drops of baby shampoo and hot water. If nothing is working, call your doctor to see if you need an antibiotic, steroid ointment, or even surgery to drain the lesion.

 

Do you have any questions about symptoms you’ve notice on or around your eye? Share them in the comments section below!