Can red eyes be transmitted to others who look at my eyes?

A common reason for red painful eyes is infection (conjunctivitis). Staring does not transmit it. However, it is usually caused by a virus, often a flu virus, which is transmitted by droplets e.g. cough and mucous secretions via surfaces and the air.

So if you harbor the virus in your eyes and likely also your nose or throat ( perhaps with have some flu symptoms ) you can spread to people close to you quite easily. But not by simply staring at them :-) That is an old wives tale.

Be sure to keep your hands very clean and not touch your eyes, and don't share towels and pillows etc.

However, if you are a contact lens wearer it may be a bit more serious. Make sure it is not corneal ulcers causing the red eyes.

In either case, best to bring yourself to see an eye doctor for proper examination and treatment. You may need some prescription eye drops on top of what you use now. Take care there.

Best wishes

Dr Daphne Han

Senior Ophthalmologist

Hi Yhuing

Painful red eyes can have a number of different possible causes, and it's best if you go and see a doctor to find out what is the cause, as well as to get some treatment for it.

As regards the risk of spread or transmission, that is possible if the red eye is caused by an infection such as 'conjunctivitis'. Usually conjunctivitis also causes a lot of discharge and sticky eyes, especially in the morning after waking up.

If you do have these symptoms ie red eye plus sticky discharge, you should take 2 main precautions to avoid spread:

1. Wash your hands as soon as possible after touching your eyes (whether to wipe them or instill eyedrops etc)

2. Tell the other people around you NOT to touch their eyes

Conjunctivitis is not spread by staring or looking at red eyes.

Luckily for that, otherwise people like me would be getting red eyes all the time!:)

Finally, just to re-emphasise, red eyes could have a number of different causes and we cannot tell exactly what it is without examining you. You might have something other than conjunctivitis.

Therefore you should go see a doctor to get an examination and diagnosis, and then some treatment for the red eye. I wish you a speedy recovery.

A painful red eye may be caused by multiple reasons, one of the most common being conjunctivitis.

There are 3 common types of conjunctivitis: allergic, bacterial and viral. All do not transmit by just looking at one's eye.

Allergic conjunctivitis is often caused by an allergen such as dust or pollen. A type of allergic conjunctivitis is giant papillary conjunctivitis, often seen in contact lens wearers. It is an allergic response caused by contact lens rubbing against the eye for a prolonged period. Allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious and does not spread via direct contact.

On the other hand, both bacterial and viral conjunctivitis can be spread through direct contact. Bacterial conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria that has infected the eye through other sources of contamination, such as exposure to contaminated surfaces or through sinus infection. It can also be spread through contact with an infected person.

Viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious often associated with the same viruses that cause flu. Viral conjunctivitis usually produces a watery discharge together with redness of the eye. Infection in one eye often spreads to the other eye. It is important that you do not share any personal items like hand towels, pillow cases or makeup with anyone during this period to minimise infecting others.

There are other reasons that may cause red eye as well, such as corneal ulcer which is potentially sight threatening and requires immediate treatment.

I will recommend you visit an ophthalmologist to determine the exact cause of your symptoms and have the condition treated in a timely manner.

Dr David Chan

Senior Consultant Eye Surgeon