Why Are My Eyes Suddenly So Dry? 7 Everyday Things That Could Be Making It Worse
If your eyes feel dry, gritty, irritated, watery, tired, or uncomfortable by the end of the day, you’re not alone. Dry eye disease is incredibly common—and despite the name, it isn't always as simple as your eyes “not making enough tears.”
A healthy tear film is a carefully balanced mixture that keeps the surface of your eyes lubricated, comfortable, and protected. When that balance is disrupted, tears may evaporate too quickly, the surface of the eye may become inflamed, or your eyes may not produce enough of the right components of your tears.
Research increasingly shows that our everyday environment and lifestyle can play an important role in ocular surface health and dry eye symptoms.[1]
Here are seven common factors that may be contributing to your dry eyes.
1. You're Spending Hours Looking at Screens
Between computers, phones, tablets, and televisions, many of us spend a significant portion of the day looking at a screen.
The problem isn't necessarily the screen itself—it's what happens to your blinking while you're looking at it.
Research has shown that digital device use can change both how frequently and how completely we blink.[2] When we don't blink fully, our eyelids don't adequately redistribute the tear film across the eye. Incomplete blinking can also interfere with the normal function of the meibomian glands, the tiny oil-producing glands located inside our eyelids.
That oil is important because it forms the outer layer of the tear film and helps prevent our tears from evaporating too quickly.
In one study, people with incomplete blinking were more than twice as likely to meet diagnostic criteria for dry eye disease compared with those without incomplete blinking.[3]
What can you do?
Take regular visual breaks during prolonged screen use and make a conscious effort to perform slow, complete blinks—especially if your eyes become uncomfortable later in the workday.
2. Your Air Conditioner, Fan, or Environment May Be Drying Out Your Eyes
Air conditioning feels great, but your tear film may disagree.
Low-humidity environments can increase tear evaporation and contribute to dry eye symptoms. Research examining workplace environments has found that low relative humidity and air-conditioned rooms can negatively affect the tear film and ocular surface.[4]
Wind and direct airflow can have a similar effect.[5]
That means the fan blowing directly toward your face while you sleep or the air-conditioning vent pointed toward you at work could be contributing to your symptoms.
What can you do?
Avoid having fans or air-conditioning vents blow directly toward your eyes. If you spend significant time in a very dry environment, adding humidity to the room may also be helpful.
3. Your Eye Makeup May Be Too Close to Your Meibomian Glands
Those tiny openings along the edge of your eyelids aren't just part of your lash line—they're where your meibomian glands release the oils that protect your tear film.
Applying eyeliner directly along the inner eyelid margin, sometimes called “tightlining,” places cosmetic products very close to these gland openings.
Research has found an association between regular eyeliner use and changes in tear-film stability and meibomian gland function.[6] Studies have also demonstrated that cosmetic products can migrate from the eyelid margin into the tear film, particularly when eyeliner is applied along the inner lash line.[7]
This doesn't mean you need to give up eye makeup. Where you apply it and how thoroughly you remove it matters.
What can you do?
Try to avoid applying eyeliner directly over the meibomian gland openings along the inner eyelid margin, remove eye makeup thoroughly each night, and replace old eye makeup regularly.
4. Your Contact Lenses May Be Making an Existing Problem More Noticeable
If your contacts feel great when you put them in but become increasingly uncomfortable as the day goes on, your tear film may be part of the problem.
Contact lenses interact directly with the tear film and ocular surface. For someone who already has an unstable tear film or underlying ocular surface disease, contact lens wear can make symptoms more noticeable.[8]
Interestingly, the answer isn't always simply switching contact lens brands.
If the underlying problem is meibomian gland dysfunction, inflammation, or another form of dry eye disease, addressing that condition may be an important part of improving comfortable contact lens wear.
What can you do?
If you're regularly taking your contacts out early because your eyes feel dry, burning, or irritated, mention it during your eye examination. Persistent contact lens discomfort deserves an evaluation rather than simply assuming you “can't wear contacts anymore.”
5. One of Your Medications Could Be Contributing
Sometimes dry eye symptoms begin even though nothing about your eye-care routine has changed.
The culprit may be somewhere you wouldn't expect: your medicine cabinet.
Several systemic medications have been associated with dry eye, including certain antihistamines, antidepressants, anticholinergic medications, acne medications, and some blood-pressure medications.[9,10]
Some topical eye medications can also affect the ocular surface, particularly with chronic use.[10]
Important: Don't stop a prescription medication because you think it may be causing dry eye. Always check with your prescribing physician BEFORE discontinuing a medication.
Instead, make sure your eye doctor knows all of the medications and supplements you're taking. Understanding potential contributors can help us develop a more appropriate treatment plan while working alongside your other healthcare providers when necessary.
6. You're Not Getting Enough Quality Sleep
Your eyes need recovery time too.
Large population studies have found a significant relationship between dry eye disease and poor sleep quality. In one study of more than 70,000 people, individuals with dry eye were significantly more likely to report poor sleep quality than those without dry eye.[11]
A more recent meta-analysis also found a significant association between dry eye disease and poorer sleep quality and sleep disturbances.[12]
The relationship is likely complicated and may work in both directions. Dry, uncomfortable eyes can interfere with sleep, while poor sleep may be associated with worse ocular surface health and symptoms.
What can you do?
Consistent, adequate sleep is important for your overall health, including your eyes! If you routinely wake with extremely dry, painful, or irritated eyes, tell your eye doctor. Morning symptoms can provide important clues about what is happening to your ocular surface overnight.
7. You're Treating Every Dry Eye the Same Way
This may be the biggest one.
When your eyes feel dry, the instinctive response is often to grab a bottle of artificial tears. While lubricating drops can be helpful, not every patient with dry eye has the same underlying problem.
Dry eye disease can involve decreased tear production, excessive tear evaporation, inflammation, meibomian gland dysfunction, eyelid disease, or a combination of several factors. Lifestyle, environment, medications, contact lenses, and cosmetics can further influence the ocular surface.[1]
That means the eye drop that works beautifully for one person may do very little for someone else.
And sometimes what feels like “dry eye” isn't simply dryness at all. Conditions such as meibomian gland dysfunction, blepharitis, Demodex, and ocular rosacea can contribute to chronic irritation and an unhealthy tear film.
Dry Eye Treatment Starts With Finding the Cause
If you've been cycling through different artificial tears without much improvement, the next step may not be another bottle of drops.
It may be figuring out why your eyes are dry in the first place.
A comprehensive dry eye evaluation allows us to look beyond your symptoms and evaluate the health and stability of your tear film, eyelids, meibomian glands, and ocular surface.
At The Eye Collective, we take an individualized approach to dry eye disease because no two patients experience it exactly the same way. By identifying the factors contributing to your symptoms, we can create a treatment plan designed around what your eyes actually need.
Schedule your dry eye evaluation today and let’s find the reason behind your symptoms.
References
1. Sullivan DA, et al. TFOS Lifestyle Report Executive Summary: A Lifestyle Epidemic – Ocular Surface Disease. The Ocular Surface. 2023. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2023.08.009.
2. Wolffsohn JS, et al. TFOS Lifestyle: Impact of the digital environment on the ocular surface. The Ocular Surface.2023;28:213-252. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2023.04.004.
3. Wang MTM, et al. Impact of blinking on ocular surface and tear film parameters. The Ocular Surface. 2018;16(4):424-429. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2018.06.001.
4. Wójcik-Gryciuk A, et al. The Influence of Work Environment Factors on the Ocular Surface in a One-Year Follow-Up Prospective Clinical Study. Diagnostics (Basel). 2021;11(3):392.
5. Alves M, et al. TFOS Lifestyle Report: Impact of environmental conditions on the ocular surface. The Ocular Surface.2023;29:1-52. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2023.04.007.
6. Zengin N, et al. Eyeliner Induces Tear Film Instability and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Cornea. 2020;39(3):366-369.
7. Ng A, et al. Investigating the effect of eye cosmetics on the tear film: current insights. Clinical Optometry. 2018;10:33-40. doi:10.2147/OPTO.S150926.
8. Jones L, et al. TFOS Lifestyle: Impact of contact lenses on the ocular surface. The Ocular Surface. 2023;29:175-219. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2023.04.010.
9. Wong J, et al. Non-hormonal systemic medications and dry eye. The Ocular Surface. 2011;9(4):212-226.
10. Gomes JAP, et al. TFOS Lifestyle: Impact of elective medications and procedures on the ocular surface. The Ocular Surface. 2023;29:331-385. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2023.04.011.
11. Magno MS, et al. The relationship between dry eye and sleep quality. The Ocular Surface. 2021;20:13-19.
12. Association between sleep quality and dry eye disease: a literature review and meta-analysis. 2024.