Treating irritated eyes


The most common cause of ocular irritation is inadequate lubrication. Your optometrist will have checked for other causes of irritation, such as infection, allergies, inflammation, trauma, and foreign objects. If those particular problems were discovered, you will have received a treatment plan.


The eyes need adequate lubrication for comfort and vision.


Blinking is usually a subconscious reflex which is necessary to keep the surface of the eyes moist. However, the rate of blinking becomes much lower with most visual tasks, like looking at screens. Any task requiring visual attention can lower the rate of blinking. This includes driving, reading, hobbies, or watching television and movies.


Decreased blinking will allow the surface of the eye to become dry.


On top of that, blinking is also necessary to stimulate the oily glands in the eyelid that provide natural lubrication.With decreased blinking, these glands can easily become clogged or inactive. Normal bacteria that live in the eye can proliferate in these glands, and this causes even more discomfort. Crusty or gunky eyelashes are a typical sign of this problem.


This common problem affects young and old. This happens a little more often in older people, mainly because the firmness of the eyelids decreases with age. In some cases, irritation can be made worse by a true malfunction of other tear-producing glands that have little to do with the function of the eyelids. For instance, severe dehydration or auto-immune diseases like acne rosacea or Sjogren’s syndrome can affect the quantity (or quality) of normal tears. Of course, being in a windy or over-ventilated area can dry out the eyes too.


Basically, there’s only a couple of ways to make things better. One way is to add lubrication to the eyes, usually with eyedrops. The other way is to get the eyelids and glands to function better. 


Eyedrops


Your optometrist will likely recommend some eyedrops for you. There are a multitude of eyedrops available on the market. Many of these eyedrops will have different formulations of fluid, minerals, lubricants, and other ingredients. Lubricants are not always listed on the labels, but can include mineral oil, castor oil, water-based compounds, and other polymers. Some work better than others for certain people. 


Warm compresses


Clogged eyelid glands can be treated with routine warm compresses. This is easier said than done! In general, most people would do well to perform warm compresses on their eyelids every night, and to make it a nightly routine - just like brushing teeth.


Heat is necessary to soften up the glands that are necessary to lubricate the eyes. Pressure is necessary to get the glands flowing out properly. To see what clogged-up glands look like, take a look at this video.


Using a warm, moist washcloth is better than nothing. However, a washcloth loses heat fairly quickly and does not provide adequate pressure on the eyelids. It is usually much better to use a heated mask for the eyes, like the Therapearl or I-Relief masks, which can be heated up in a microwave or hot water. These masks come with a head strap to provide some constant pressure on the eyelids. Use it for at least five minutes at a time. We often recommend doing this before bed. Sometimes using a warm compress can make the vision temporarily blurry; this is normal. It’s often beneficial to use the warm compresses more than once a day.

Using a warm compress usually feels good right away, but that feeling is only temporary. It takes weeks, or even months, for this routine treatment to get the glands working properly.

For this reason, it is very important to not give up. It is human nature to lose interest in treatments that don’t seem to help, so please be patient and diligent. Do not underestimate the effectiveness of this treatment.  

Other treatments


Changing some habits may be in order. This means taking breaks when using the computer or any other task that requires visual concentration. Here are a few ideas on how to do this:


  • Use the “Pomodoro” method to take scheduled breaks, even with hobbies. This is meant as a way to increase productivity, and periodic breaks would have the additional benefit of rejuvenating the eyes..

  • Limit screen use before bedtime. This is not only easier on the eyes, it may actually help with better sleeps!

  • For habitual readers, consider listening to audio books. People who love to read can be resistant to this idea, but there is no shame in listening to something instead of reading something. This way, the reader can truly relax or use the time to go for a walk or perform some other light exercise

  • Adjust the environment for the eyes. For instance, aim air vents away from the face when driving. Make sure that devices like fans or CPAP machines do not blow directly into the eyes.

  • Keep hydrated, not only by drinking enough fluids but also monitoring diet and exercise

  • Wear eye protection when working around dirt or dust or smoke


Sometimes we’ll recommend special cleaning pads to clean the eyelashes, especially if we think that skin mites are involved. 


There are a range of problems that affect the positioning and functioning of the eyelids, and sometimes these may require surgical intervention.


For advanced cases of irritation and inflammation, prescription eyedrops may be recommended.