Eye discoloration

I always had very white eyes..I have noticed in the recent years that the white part of my eyes has brown discolorations..some days its worse than others especially when i havent had enough sleep..when i lift my eyelid that area is still very white its just the visible area that has brown discoloration..i do have allergies once in a while. Opticians have told me in the past that i may need glasses to better my vision because i feel like am straining my eyes sometimes but i dont think this has anything to do with the discoloration..Visine works very well to clear the discoloration temporarily but i would like to know if there is a permanent solution to this problem..

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear Val34,

I would recommend that you seek the care of your eyeMD to determine the cause of the discoloration.  An appropriate treatment can then be aimed at the cause rather than the use of visine, which temporarily constricts blood vessels and makes one eyes whiter.  It might be possible to prescribe some drops aimed at allergy.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California