Dry eyes in the morning can be uncomfortable, so it is important to mention your dry eyes to your optometrist at your next eye exam. Some common causes of dry eyes in the morning are:
- Producing poor quality tears or not enough tears
- Not being able to close your eyes when sleeping
- Allergies
- Medications
- Sleeping while wearing contacts
Waking up with dry or painful eyes is a common symptom of dry eye disease. Luckily, treatments for dry eye disease are available, which can help you wake up with better-feeling eyes.
Symptoms of Dry Eyes
Waking up with dry eyes may feel or look like:
- Eyes that feel “gritty”
- Stinging or burning eyes
- Sore eyes
- Blurred vision
- Eye redness
- Light Sensitivity
Causes of Morning Dry Eyes
More specifically, five additional causes of experiencing dry eyes in the mornings are as follows:
- Poor Quality Tears & Tear Production
Your eye produces special tears called Basal Tears to keep your eyes lubricated. If your eyes can’t produce enough of these tears, then the eyes dry out. Without lubrication, the friction caused by your eyes and eyelids’s movements can cause irritation. Additionally, things like eyelid inflammation can affect the eye’s ability to create tears.
Sometimes, an eye can produce enough tears, but they are poor quality. If the glands in your eyelids and tear ducts don’t produce enough oil, then they may evaporate too fast. If this happens, the eyes may become dry and irritated.
- Nocturnal Lagophthalmos
Nocturnal Lagophthalmos is a condition where a person is unable to keep their eyes completely closed while they are asleep. When the eyelid is left open overnight, the eye is left unprotected and the tears that keep the eyes lubricated evaporate. Once these tears evaporate, the eye is left feeling dry and potentially sore.
In addition to drying out your eyes, sleeping with your eyes slightly open leaves them vulnerable to damage. If you believe that you have nocturnal lagophthalmos, make sure to mention it to your optometrist at your next eye exam.
- Allergies
Allergies might make your eyes feel itchy or dry. If something is triggering your allergies in your sleep environment, you may start waking up with dry eyes.
Some potential allergens that might be in your sleep environment include the skin products that you use before bed, pet hair and dander, or mold and dust mites in your bedding. Allergies can be discovered through allergen testing. By identifying allergies, you can make changes to your sleep space to avoid waking up with dry eyes.
- Prescription Medications
Some medications can cause dry eyes. Specifically, some acne medications, blood pressure medications, types of birth control, and antidepressants can all cause dry eyes as a side effect.
- Sleeping While Wearing Contacts
Unless your optometrist recommends that you sleep with your contacts in, sleeping in contacts is not advised. By sleeping in contact lenses your eyes may be more likely to dry out overnight, leading to dry eyes in the morning.
Relief for Morning Dry Eyes
When you book an eye exam to tackle your dry eyes, your optometrist will go through an in-depth assessment of your eyes. Your optometrist may perform tear measurements and assessments, eyelid gland expression, or extensive digital imaging of your eyes and eyelids.
When it comes to treating dry eyes, one of the most common treatments is over-the-counter eye drops which can be used to lubricate the eyes. In more difficult cases, prescription eye drops may be used.
If the cause of the dry eyes is dry eye disease, remedies like punctal plugs are used to keep the eye lubricated.
Your optometrist may also recommend some lifestyle & habit changes. If your dry eyes are caused by nocturnal lagophthalmos, things like eyelid taping may be suggested. Other common lifestyle recommendations include quitting smoking and reducing screen time.
Find Solutions for Your Dry Eyes
While a variety of solutions exist to address waking up with dry eyes, the first step to treating your dry eyes is by booking an eye exam with your optometrist. Our experienced team at Vivid Eye Care would be more than happy to help you with your unique vision needs and to find a treatment for your dry eyes that works for you.
