14 Frequent Causes of Bloodshot Red Eyes

There are many reasons why you might be wondering about the causes for bloodshot eyes: First, it might be your own – and you might be experiencing it together with symptoms that could help to tell you more about the root cause; if it’s not your own, you might be an employer or teacher wondering if there’s a need to be concerned about someone’s health, or if they might just be coming to work or class stoned.

You should know that there are plenty of reasons why someone could have bloodshot red eyes, and not all of them are related to inebriation or drug use, which is often the first thing people will think of. Sometimes bloodshot eyes could be indicative of a serious medical condition – or point to something that’s less severe and instead related to something as simple as allergies.

Here are 8 frequent causes of bloodshot red eyes.

1. Drug Use

Drug use and inebriation are often the first possible causes that you might think of if you spot someone with bloodshot eyes, and this can be true if it’s combined with other obvious symptoms of inebriation – vomiting, the general loud-ness of a drink and the persistent smell of alcohol. Just the same way, if it’s combined with certain signs of drug use, such as constant sniffing and mysterious behavior (but not obvious flu), it can be a sign of inebriation.

This is due to the effect many drugs have in affecting the blood vessels, and these blood vessels fill up fast – almost like in hyperdrive – bloodshot eyes become the unfortunate symptom. Combined with too much pressure in the sinuses, it can lead to burst blood vessels in some rare cases, but it usually doesn’t and will usually very easily fade with the effects of the drug or alcohol wearing off.