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  • Eye Health & Wellness

White Part of the Eye Swollen like Jelly

  • Last updated February 26, 2023

4 min read

Courtney Dryer, OD
Written byCourtney Dryer, OD
Jovi Boparai, MD
Reviewed by Jovi Boparai, MD
Courtney Dryer, OD
Courtney Dryer, ODOptometristCharlotte, NC

Bio

Dr. Courtney Dryer earned her doctorate from Southern College of Optometry, Memphis, Tennessee in 2011. She opened her own practice Autarchic Spec Shop in 2013 in Charlotte, NC. She has had the privilege of writing for numerous optometric publications and serving in various industry capacities. In 2015, Vision Monday named her a rising star and one of the most influential women in optometry. Her optometric passions include practice management, specialty contact lenses, and dry eye management.

Jovi Boparai, MD
Jovi Boparai, MDCo-founder & CEO of CorneaCarePhiladelphia, PA

Bio

Dry eye disease is tough! I get it. I have struggled with dry eyes for several years from contact lens use, and from spending countless hours looking at computer screens. In college, my dry eyes got so bad that I couldn’t wear contact lenses, because of a constant “foreign body sensation” when I had them in. I had to stop reading every 30 minutes because my eyes would start to burn and my vision would get blurry. I tried a plethora of treatments and nothing seemed to work. Dry eye disease was not only impacting my eyes, but also my emotional wellbeing. It was preventing me from enjoying life, and getting in the way of my professional training. I felt overwhelmed, frustrated and hopeless.

It was only when I realized that my dry eyes were linked to my lifestyle, environment and overall health did things start to make sense. I noticed that on days when I spent less time on the computer, my eyes felt better. My symptoms would flare when it was windy, or when there was low humidity. I knew that if I wanted to get ahead of my dry eyes, I needed to not only treat my eyes, but to also address my lifestyle. I started a consistent regimen of artificial tears and eyelid hygiene. I switched from monthly contact lenses to daily contact lenses. I started taking scheduled breaks from looking at a computer. I ate a healthier diet focused on anti-inflammatory/antioxidants foods, and I bought a humidifier for my room. In the beginning doing all this seemed impossible, but over time it became part of my usual routine. Not only did my eyes feel better, but I was overall healthier and happier! Turns out what is good for my eyes, was also good for my mind and body. I carried this lesson with me as I started my career to become an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon.

Because of my personal journey and professional training, I believe dry eye treatment starts by listening to and empowering the patient. I listen for the struggles and cue in on their strengths, while picking up on their lifestyle. Only then do we together start building a treatment plan that incorporates good eye hygiene with small, but impactful lifestyle changes. Our sight is our most important sense, and it is intimately linked to our very being. I want dry eye patients to not only get their dry eyes under control, but to also enjoy good mental and physical health, and live a fulfilling life. What is good for the eyes should also strengthen the mind and fortify the body!

Get to know me a little better!

Hobby: vintage watches
Food: peanut butter
Superhero: Superman
Guilty pleasure: desserts
Secret power: has never had a headache

Training:

Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh Honors College
Medical school: Weill Cornell Medicine
Ophthalmology residency: Wills Eye Hospital.

White part of the eye swollen like jelly

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Table of Contents

White Part of the Eye Swollen like Jelly

Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign body called an allergen. Spring allergy season can be particularly brutal on the eyes. Flowers, tree pollen, and ragweed can trigger sneezing, itching, and red, swollen eyes. Allergic reactions, in addition to pink eye, thyroid disease, and ocular surface disease can result in chemosis, the swelling of the white part of the eye, giving it the appearance of jelly.

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Key Points

  • Chemosis is swelling (edema) of the conjunctiva.
  • The conjunctive appears like a jelly-like blister due to excess fluid.
  • Chemosis can be caused by ocular surface trauma, infection, allergy, and thyroid eye disease.

What is Chemosis?

Chemosis is swelling or edema of the white part of the eye. The conjunctiva, or front surface of the eye, appears like a jelly-like blister due to excess fluid. It will often clear on its own or after the underlying condition is treated.1 Chemosis is caused by a direct insult to conjunctival endothelial cells.2 In some cases, the chemosis may cause conjunctival bleeding.

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    Understanding Chemosis

    Chemosis is common and can be caused by a number of conditions including trauma, infection, allergy, obstruction of lymphatic and venous outflow, and inflammation of the conjunctiva.3 Common eye conditions that cause chemosis include: allergic conjunctivitis, viral conjunctivitis and bacterial conjunctivitis. Thyroid eye disease and ocular surface exposure can also be the cause of conjunctival chemosis.

    Viral Conjunctivitis

    Viral conjunctivitis is one of the most common conditions in eye practices and emergency rooms. Acute viral conjunctivitis is usually caused by various serotypes of adenoviruses, but herpes viruses and varicella-zoster virus may also be a cause. This eye condition tends to occur in association with a systemic illness including infections caused by the DNA virus Epstein-Barr virus, and the RNA viruses influenza virus, paramyxovirus (e.g. Newcastle disease virus), rubella virus and HIV. Viral conjunctivitis is a benign and self-limiting condition, but it can be highly infectious.4 

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    Bacterial Conjunctivitis

    A bacterial conjunctivitis is identified by purulent eye discharge, or sticky eyes when you wake up, foreign body sensation and conjunctival injection (pink eye). Conjunctival chemosis is also possible. Your eye doctor will conduct a thorough eye exam to make a diagnosis. Bacterial conjunctivitis is rare in newborns, but the most common cause is Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Chlamydia trachomatis. Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis are most often the cause of bacterial infections in infants and older children.5

    Allergic Conjunctivitis

    Allergic conjunctivitis has become more common in both children and adults and has a significant effect on quality of life. It affects approximately 10-20% of the population. Allergic conjunctivitis is a group of diseases caused by an ocular response to environmental allergens.6 Allergic conjunctivitis may be seasonal or perennial, or due to exposure to an allergen like pet dander. The symptoms of an allergic reaction may include itching, watery discharge,4 foreign body sensation, redness, and a papillary response on the eyelids.6

    Environmental conditions that affect dry eye disease

    Thyroid Eye Disease

    The most common and specific clinical finding for thyroid eye disease (TED) is eyelid retraction, found in around 91 percent of the patients, followed by proptosis (62 percent); motility dysfunction (43 percent); pain (30 percent); epiphora (23 percent); and compressive optic neuropathy (6 percent). Due to lid position, chemosis and corneal changes are also common findings.7 In early thyroid disease, patients may experience chemosis, conjunctival injection, and eyelid swelling secondary to orbital congestion.

    Ocular Surface Exposure

    Dryness of the conjunctiva due to ocular surface exposure is one of the major causes of conjunctival chemosis. Ocular surface exposure is due to eyelid malposition in conditions like lagophthalmos, bell’s palsy or thyroid eye disease.

    Symptoms of Chemosis

    Individuals with chemosis often have other clinical signs and ocular symptoms including:

    • Eye irritation
    • Broken blood vessels (subconjunctival hemorrhage)
    • Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
    • Itchy eyes
    • Red eyes
    • Excessive tearing
    • Swollen eyelids
    Key symptoms of dry eye disease

    Treatments for Chemosis

    The treatment for chemosis depends on the cause. You should seek medical advice from your eye doctor, such as an ophthalmologist. Stop wearing contact lenses during the treatment of chemosis.

    Studies suggest the use of antibiotic eye drops helps reduce symptoms in individuals with bacterial conjunctivitis when compared to the use of a placebo. Your eye doctor may recommend an antibacterial drop or ointment.5

    Viral conjunctivitis will resolve on its own within 7-14 days. For most cases of viral conjunctivitis, no effective treatment is currently available, and treatment is focused on symptom relief. You may find that cold compresses and artificial tears help. For severe cases of conjunctivitis and keratitis, topical corticosteroid drops are prescribed for the relief of inflammatory symptoms. However, prolonged use of corticosteroids can increase the risk of glaucoma and cataracts.4

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    Treatment for allergic conjunctivitis may include oral or topical antihistamines, cool compresses, and eye drops like over-the-counter artificial tears. An eye doctor may treat severe cases with a steroid eye drop.6  

    Putting It All Together

    Chemosis is a jelly-like swelling of the conjunctiva caused by edema. Chemosis is a clinical sign of an ocular condition. Common types of conjunctivitis, thyroid disease, and ocular surface exposure are conditions that may result in conjunctival chemosis. Chemosis often heals on its own or with treatment of the root condition. Check out Cornea Care’s Self Cooling Hydrogel Cold Compresses for improved appearance and comfort for swollen eyes and eyelids.

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    What’s Next

    Learn to love your eyes! Read more eye health and wellness tips on our blog.

    Bibliography

    1. Kalin NS, Orlin SE, Wulc AE, Heffler KF, Frayer WC, Sulewski ME, Mittra RA, Cavanagh HD. Chronic localized conjunctival chemosis. Cornea. 1996 May;15(3):295-300. doi: 10.1097/00003226-199605000-00011. PMID: 8713933.
    2. Minckler MR, Newell C, Drummond B. Chemosis from trauma. West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):357-358. doi:10.5811/westjem.2014.3.21550
    3. Kim, K.H., Kim, W.S. Chronic unilateral chemosis following the use of amlodipine besylate. BMC Ophthalmol 14, 124 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2415-14-124
    4. Skevaki CL, Galani IE, Pararas MV, Giannopoulou KP, Tsakris A. Treatment of viral conjunctivitis with antiviral drugs. Drugs. 2011 Feb 12;71(3):331-47. doi: 10.2165/11585330-000000000-00000. PMID: 21319870.
    5. Leung AKC, Hon KL, Wong AHC, Wong AS. Bacterial Conjunctivitis in Childhood: Etiology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Management. Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov. 2018;12(2):120-127. doi: 10.2174/1872213X12666180129165718. PMID: 29380707.
    6. Villegas BV, Benitez-Del-Castillo JM. Current Knowledge in Allergic Conjunctivitis. Turk J Ophthalmol. 2021;51(1):45-54. doi:10.4274/tjo.galenos.2020.11456
    7. Kim, H. Joon. How to Recognize & Treat Thyroid Eye Disease. Review of Ophthalmology. Published November 7, 2013

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