Yellow Eyes: Symptoms

What other symptoms might occur with yellow eyes?

Yellow eyes may accompany other symptoms, which vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Children and adults with yellow eyes due to jaundice often have other symptoms of an underlying disease. However, newborn infants with yellow eyes due to mild jaundice often do not have any other symptoms.

In children, adolescents and adults, symptoms that may appear along with yellow eyes and skin (jaundice) include:

• Abdominal pain

• Dark or brown urine

• Flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, sore throat, headache, cough, aches and pains)

• Itchy skin

• Malaise or generally feeling ill

• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

• Pale or clay-colored feces (stool)

• Poor appetite

• Unexplained weight loss

• Weakness

Symptoms that might indicate a serious or life-threatening condition

Symptoms that may occur with yellow eyes or skin can be caused by life-threatening conditions, such as liver failure, portal hypertension, or esophageal varices. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of the following symptoms:

• Bleeding, such as vomiting blood or major rectal bleeding

• Change in level of consciousness or alertness such as passing out

• Change in mental status or sudden behavior change such as confusion

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Severe weakness

Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if your baby has any of the following symptoms that may accompany yellow eyes:

• Extreme fussiness

• Inability to be easily woken

• Lack of stool or urine

• Serious feeding problems or inability to breast-feed or bottle feed

• Unresponsiveness

• Unusually weak, stiff or floppy body