---
title: "Yellow eyes | Eye Health Guide"
description: "What causes yellowing of the eyes, why it can signal jaundice, related eye conditions, and when to seek urgent medical care. Clinically reviewed."
url: https://eyehealthguide.org/symptoms/yellow-eyes/
source: Eye Health Guide
licence: "General information only. Cite the URL and the named medical reviewer."
---

Symptom

# Yellow eyes

Yellow sclera may signal jaundice — see a doctor

Medical reviewer [Mr Mohamed Mohyudin](https://eyehealthguide.org/reviewers/mohamed-mohyudin/)· Last recorded site review July 6, 2026

### About this review

This page inherits the site’s previous review record. A separate, current article sign-off has not yet been recorded.

[How review works](https://eyehealthguide.org/reviewers/) · [Official biography & credentials](https://mohamedmohyudin.co.uk/author/mohamed-mohyudin/)

Quick answer

Yellow eyes usually mean the whites of the eyes (sclera) have turned yellow from jaundice, a build-up of bilirubin often linked to liver or gallbladder disease. This is a medical rather than a routine eye problem. See a doctor promptly, especially if the skin is also yellow, urine is dark, or you feel unwell. Yellow discharge from the eye is different and more often relates to conjunctivitis.

## When to get urgent help

- Yellow eyes with yellow skin, dark urine, pale stools or abdominal pain
- Yellow eyes with fever, confusion or severe tiredness
- Sudden yellowing with right-sided tummy pain or known liver disease
- Yellow eyes in a newborn baby, which always needs prompt assessment

### On this page ⌄

1. When to get urgent help
2. Common causes
3. What can help
4. Frequently asked questions

## Common causes

Yellow sclera usually reflects a body-wide problem rather than a local eye condition. These related topics may help context, but see a doctor for jaundice.

## What can help

- See a GP or urgent care promptly for yellowing of the sclera — do not wait for an optician alone
- Note any yellow skin, dark urine, pale stools, tummy pain or recent illness
- Seek emergency care for severe abdominal pain, confusion or fever with yellowing

## Frequently asked questions

### Are yellow eyes the same as jaundice?

Yellowing of the sclera is a common sign of jaundice, which is caused by high bilirubin levels. It often points to liver, bile duct or blood problems and needs medical assessment, not just an eye test.

### Can yellow eyes be caused by an eye infection?

Infections like conjunctivitis cause yellow discharge and redness, but the white of the eye itself is not usually icteric yellow. True yellow sclera suggests jaundice until proven otherwise.

### Should I see an optician for yellow eyes?

See a doctor first for yellow sclera. An optician can help with red eyes or vision problems, but jaundice needs blood tests and medical review to find the underlying cause.

Your next step

## Take this to your appointment

Write down what has changed, when it started, your current medicines and the questions you want answered. Take these to your eye-care appointment.

Sudden loss of sight, severe eye pain or a dark curtain across vision needs immediate assessment. Do not wait to complete a worksheet.

## Trusted sources

For general background, these organisations provide eye-health information. This list is further reading, not a record that they reviewed this article.

- [NHS — Health A to Z](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/)
- [Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust](https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/)
- [American Academy of Ophthalmology — EyeHealth](https://www.aao.org/eye-health)
- [National Eye Institute (NIH)](https://www.nei.nih.gov/)
- [College of Optometrists — Look After Your Eyes](https://lookafteryoureyes.org/)
- [World Health Organization — Eye care, vision impairment and blindness](https://www.who.int/health-topics/blindness-and-vision-loss)