It’s 4 o’clock in the morning. I’m in my third trimester with my second child trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, so I’m wide awake. I look to my left and see my husband viciously rubbing his eyelids in his sleep. Yes, completely asleep! I’ve seen him do this during the day too and got to thinking… “That can’t be great for your eyes long-term. What are the side effects of constantly rubbing your dry eyes and is there a better solution?”
We’ve all done it. Your eyes suddenly become dry and you can’t help but take the opportunity to get some instant relief by rubbing your eyelids with your fingers. And let’s be honest, it’s usually not the most gentle rub either. It’s often violent because, hey, you’re uncomfortable! But if you’re doing this often, there are some long-term side effects you might want to consider before continuing to rub those dry eyes.
Potential side effects could include a scratched cornea which can lead to greater damage over time, redness, increased light sensitivity, bloodshot eyes, and so on. That list is long enough to reconsider rubbing those dry eyes in the future. After all, you only get one pair of eyes! It’s important to take care of them.
What should you do instead? Place a warm compress over your closed eyelids for an extra boost of extra hydration. If you’re on the go, you can also use artificial tear drops but overuse of these come with their own side effects. If the problem persists, you should consider visiting your optometrist more frequently to determine the underlying cause and come up with a long-term solution.
If you suffer from dry eye, what else has worked for you?