When your eyes feel like there is sand or grit trapped beneath your eyelids, the irritation can be difficult to ignore. Gritty eyes are commonly associated with dry eye, but several conditions can cause a similar sensation.
At Pacific Eye Care, our Huntington Beach optometrists can examine your eyes, identify factors that may be contributing to the irritation, and recommend appropriate care.
A gritty or scratchy sensation usually means something is irritating the surface of your eyes or eyelids. The cause is not always obvious from symptoms alone.
Possible causes include dry eye, meibomian gland dysfunction, blepharitis, certain autoimmune conditions, environmental irritation, contact lens problems, and UV-related eye irritation.
Dry eye is a common cause of gritty, burning, or irritated eyes. It can occur when you do not produce enough tears or when your tears evaporate too quickly.
Problems with the oil-producing meibomian glands along the eyelids can contribute to rapid tear evaporation and may leave the eyes feeling dry even when they are also watery.
Blepharitis causes inflammation along the eyelid margins. Symptoms can include redness, itching, crusting around the lashes, burning, and a gritty sensation.
Because several conditions can produce similar symptoms, an eye examination can help determine whether eyelid inflammation is contributing to your discomfort.
Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune condition that can affect the glands responsible for producing moisture, including tears.
Some medications, hormonal changes, and other health conditions can also affect tear production or the eye surface. Be sure to tell your optometrist about your medical history and medications during your evaluation.
Significant UV exposure can injure the surface of the eye, a condition known as photokeratitis. Symptoms may include pain, redness, tearing, light sensitivity, blurry vision, and a gritty sensation.
Significant eye pain or vision changes following intense UV exposure should be evaluated promptly.
Watery eyes and dry eye can occur together.
When the eye surface becomes irritated, your eyes may respond by producing reflex tears. These tears can overflow without providing the balanced oil, water, and mucus components needed to keep the eye surface comfortably lubricated.
An evaluation can help determine whether excessive tearing is actually related to an underlying dry eye problem.
Treatment depends on what is causing the sensation.
For dry eye or eyelid-related conditions, care may involve changes to your eye-care routine, appropriate lubricating drops, eyelid hygiene, prescription treatment, or in-office therapies when indicated.
Rather than repeatedly treating the symptom on your own, persistent grittiness is worth evaluating so your optometrist can recommend care based on the underlying cause.
Schedule an evaluation if gritty, burning, or irritated eyes persist, repeatedly return, interfere with contact lens wear, or begin affecting your everyday comfort.
Seek prompt eye care for severe pain, significant light sensitivity, sudden changes in vision, an eye injury, chemical exposure, or a suspected foreign object in the eye.
If your eyes regularly feel gritty, scratchy, dry, or irritated, Pacific Eye Care can help determine what may be contributing to your symptoms.
A dry eye and ocular surface evaluation can provide clearer answers and help guide an appropriate treatment plan.
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