Red puffy swollen rashy circles around eyes

I awoke 12 hrs ago with red puffy circles around my eyes.  I first thought it was lack of sleep since I am a new parent but soon realized it was far worse than "tired eyes".  My eyelids are swollen with one top lid being more fluid filled and puffy.  There is a red rash on the far sides of both my eyes and the skin is slightly broken, mildly irritated and burns a bit.  The bags under my eyes are now wrinkled and look streched with dry patches throughout.  I have had this happen before twice in the last 5 years, but have not had any diagnosis or had this much irritation.  The first time this happened it only affected my upper lids and was a itchy rash that flaked skin and lasted 2 days.  I am a 32 year old male who leads a fairly healthy lifestyle other than smoking cigarettes. (I know)  I do have a some allergies and Asthma (I know cigarettes) but have not experienced any other symptoms related to either.  Just want to find out if this is something simple like contact dermatitis or a sign of a more serious condition?  Also any possible temporary remedies...  Thank you

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Unexplained swelling of the lip or eyes without any predisposing disease is frequently caused by allergies. An allergic reaction can occur suddenly, even in a person with no previous history of allergy.This swelling of the lip or eyes is called angioedema.It is the rapid swelling (edema) of the dermis, subcutaneous tissue, mucosa and submucosal tissues.Symptoms include swelling of any body part which appears suddenly and comes and goes.

Diagnosis is by clinical examination and complete blood tests,electrolytes and renal function tests.Treatment is by antihistaminics and steroids.

Other possibilities of swelling of eyes may be acromegaly,Crohn’s disease,cardiac or renal disorders,herpes and myxedema.It is very difficult to make a diagnosis without examination.So pls get yourself examined by a physician and the diagnosis confirmed.Also sometimes angioedema can be life threatening when it involves the larynx and airways.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.