Are you suspecting that you might be suffering from any form of eye infection, and are looking out for symptoms that might indicate that? Below is a relatively complete list of eye infection symptoms, and what it might probably indicate.
Suffering from redness of the eye? You might be suffering from what is commonly known as Pink eye, or Conjunctivitis. This is also known as the infection of the membrane between the inner eyelid and the eyeball, and thus the inflammation of this membrane that causes the red color in the eye. This infection could be caused by a lot of different causes, the most popular of which would be that of bacterial or viral infections.
Possible candidates of these bacteria and viruses could be very common microorganisms, such as the common flu virus, could cause an inflammation that could last for a few days. Bacteria inflammations could not be treated with antibiotics, and thus could last a little longer, up to a few days, while their viral compatriots could recover within 3-4 days without treatment. Antibiotic treatment of viral Conjunctivitis could allow it to heal 1-2 days faster. It is also worthy to note that these bacterial and viral conjunctivitis could heal by themselves without any treatment.
The thing with the different types of conjunctivitis is the different types of details that come with the different causes of pink eye.
Allergic conjunctivitis, as its name states, is simply an allergic reaction to temporary surroundings. Symptoms would include a lot of tearing in both eyes, reddening of the eyes, itching, and normally accompanied with itchy noses and mucus discharge from the nose. Allergic conjunctivitis would normally be solved when staying away from the allergen for a period of time.
Bacterial conjunctivitis normally start from one of the eyes and then spread to the other, and is characterized by having a heavy tearing and other liquids coming out from the eye. It is also very common for it to cause crystals to form at the sides of the eye.
Viral conjunctivitis only affects one eye, but if the virus is carried over to the other via a medium (rubbing of both eyes) then it could spread from one eye to the other. There would be excessive tearing in the affected eye. Like Bacterial conjunctivitis, Viral conjunctivitis would also cause crystals to form at the sides of the eye.
If your “sore eyes” or conjunctivitis do not heal within one week, then it might most likely be indicative of a more serious health problem. STDs such as Gonorrhea and Herpes would also cause conjunctivitis. Arthritis is also a cause of conjunctivitis, among the others. If you do have “sore eyes” beyond a week do consult a medical professional as it could be any of the underlying diseases.