Why Do My Eyes Look So Puffy?

If you have puffy eyes, you probably find them annoying, to say the least. In our culture, problems like bags under your eyes are generally not considered attractive. No matter how many products you pick up from the store to address the issue, it never seems to permanently fix it.

You may also wonder if the appearance of your eyes could be a sign of a problem, which may sometimes be the case. The providers at Eye Q Optique explain more about this issue — and how to make the puffiness go away.

What do we mean by “puffy eyes?”

Puffy eyes can mean several things.  It may mean that your eyes look swollen. Or you may have bags under your eyes that never seem to disappear, even when you’re well-rested. However, puffy eyes are different from swollen eyelids, which is a different issue. 

Causes puffy eyes

Puffy eyes can be caused by multiple factors, including:

• Aging

• Genetics

• Stress

• Eye fatigue

• Individual skin characteristics

Some of these factors can’t be changed, like aging or genetics. However, stress and eye fatigue are definitely changeable.

Other issues to consider

Allergies can be another culprit. If you have seasonal allergies, for example, you may notice that your eyes look worse. The same may be true if you work around chemicals or dust that irritate your eyes.

Even though puffy eyes and swollen eyelids are technically different from each other, they can look the same. Swollen eyelids that occur suddenly are more likely to indicate a problem that requires medical attention.

Some of the causes of swollen eyelids include:

• Thyroid eye disease

• Pink eye (also known as conjunctivitis)

• Inflammation associated with dry eye 

• Kidney disease

• Blepharochalasis, which causes swelling every few months

To find out the cause of your eye issues, make an appointment with us. 

How to treat puffy eyes

Fortunately, you can control eye puffiness with several at-home treatments, such as:

• Eat less salt 

• Eat potassium-rich foods like bananas to reduce swelling

• Use cool compresses on your eyes

• Use antihistamine eye drops if you have allergies

• Avoid wearing contacts as often as possible

• Drink plenty of water (dehydration makes your eyes look worse)

• Splash cold water on your face

• Get plenty of sleep

These remedies can make a big difference in the appearance of your eyes.

When to see a doctor

If you’ve tried all of the self-care techniques listed above and your eyes are still constantly puffy, there’s more that we can do to help you. 

When you come in to discuss your puffy eyes, we’ll ask more questions to determine if you have a more serious underlying medical condition. Some of these conditions are very treatable.

If you’re bothered enough by the puffy eyes to want surgery to fix them, we can refer you to a surgeon for a procedure called a blepharoplasty. This procedure surgically removes excess skin from around your eyes.

You don’t have to suffer with puffy eyes, especially when we have treatments that can help. Contact us at Eye Q Optique today or request an appointment online.