Q:

I have had a cold for a few days, and last night my eyes started to get a little red. Then, this morning both of my eyes were rather red, even after putting in eye drops. They have continues to stay red throughout the day, perhaps getting slightly worse but nothing drastic. They do not itch, they are not dry and they are not oozing or weeping. Other than being red and looking irritated they feel fine. Another oddity is that the only part of my eye that is red is the part that comes into contact with the air. The top part of my eye that is covered by my eyelid is not red and is its normal "white" color.

My left eardrum is also rather plugged and has pressure on it. Earlier it was making crackling noises when I tilted my head to the left and now it is making whooshing sounds and has watery blood in it. I am going to assume that I burst the eardrum, which I also did to my left ear when I was a child, however, the pressure has not been relieved in that ear.

 

A:

You are definitely having more than a simple cold with probable viral conjunctivitis (pink eye) which should resolve itself in 3 days or so without treatment, and a probable perforated tympanic membrane in your left ear. The ear infection may also self-resolve, but if still uncomfortable today with pressure, it is best, for protection of the tympanic membrane from further damage, to consider antibiotics to help clear the infection. You can call 650-3400 for a same day appointment.

~The Doc