How to Get Rid of Swollen Eyes Due to Crying
Crying is one of the most common causes of puffy, swollen eyes 12. While prevention is the best option, you can do things to keep the swelling to a minimum when you cry. For example, avoid rubbing your eyes, since this irritates the skin and worsens the swelling. When drying tears, use a patting motion rather than sliding tissue directly over the skin.
Wash your face with cool water, then apply cool cucumber slices or ice cubes wrapped in a towel directly on your closed eyes. Leave on until the swelling subsides. Make sure you have several cucumber slices, so that you can replace them with new ones when they get too warm.
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Place a container of eye cream in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Once the cream is cool, apply over and around your eyes. If you can, lie down with two or three pillows under your head and rest for a few minutes. Elevating your head diminishes puffiness and swelling.
Place two used teabags (or wet new ones) in the refrigerator until cooled. Squeeze all liquid out of them and place them on your eyes to help relieve tension and redness. Keep your eyes closed at all times, as the caffeine in tea bags can burn if it gets into your eyes.
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Drink lots of water to help clean your system and rehydrate your skin. For the rest of the day, avoid consuming too much salt and skip caffeine, which retains water and can cause it to pool under the eyes, worsening the problem.
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References
- Mother Nature: Puffy Eyes
- MadSci Network: Why Do We Get Swollen Eyes After Crying or Sleeping?
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. What Is Dry Eye? 2019.
- Ehrhart IC, Parker PE, Weidner WJ, Dabney JM, Scott JB, Haddy FJ. Coronary vascular and myocardial responses to carotid body stimulation in the dog. Am J Physiol. 1975;229(3):754-60. DOI: 10.1155/2017/4675401
- Greiner KL, Walline JJ. Dry Eye in Pediatric Contact Lens Wearers. Eye Contact Lens. 2010;36(6):352-355. doi:10.1097/ICL.0b013e3181f8bc25
- American Optometric Association. Dry Eye.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dry Eye Diagnosis and Treatment. 2020.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Punctal Plugs. 2020.
- de Araujo DD, Silva DVA, Rodrigues CAO, Silva PO, Macieira TGR, Chianca TCM.Effectiveness of Nursing Interventions to Prevent Dry Eye in Critically Ill Patients.Am J Crit Care. 2019 Jul;28(4):299-306. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2019360.
- Rabina G, Boguslavsky II, Mimouni M, Kaiserman I.The Association between Preoperative Dry Eye Symptoms and Postoperative Discomfort in Patients Underwent Photorefractive Keratectomy.J Ophthalmol. 2019 Feb 18;2019:7029858. doi: 10.1155/2019/7029858. eCollection 2019.
Writer Bio
Tammy Dray has been writing since 1996. She specializes in health, wellness and travel topics and has credits in various publications including Woman's Day, Marie Claire, Adirondack Life and Self. She is also a seasoned independent traveler and a certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant. Dray is pursuing a criminal justice degree at Penn Foster College.