Can having a head cold affect your eyes?

Yes, a head cold can affect your eyes. Viruses tend to go for the most vulnerable parts of the body – for the common cold virus which is responsible for head colds, the more delicate tissue in your nasal passages, back of your throat and eyes may become ‘infected’ and hence, inflamed.

Apart from the common symptoms of a head cold such as blocked nose, sinus headaches and earache, you might also find that your eyes feel irritated and ‘swollen’. Sometimes, there is a degree of clear sticky discharge present, described as having more sticky tears.

The way we would treat these symptoms is to address the fundamental viral infection using echinacea. If your eyes are feeling particularly irritated, we would also suggest the use of Euphrasia eyedrops which will soothe irritated eyes.

Dr. Jen Tan