Dry Eyes at Night

Our eyes are covered with a thin film of tears that remain invisible. These tears help to maintain our eyes in a lubricated condition. Production of tears take place in a gland called lacrimal gland which is present at the top of the eyeball. The tears produced then get spread into tiny tear ducts at the front of the eyeball and also into the nose. We get dry eyes when the tear producing gland dries up and does not produce sufficient amount of tears. It can also happen if the tears produced by the gland gets evaporated very fast or the tears do not get spread all over the eyes. People in the age group of 40-50 are more prone to suffer from dry eyes at night. Dry eyes at night does not have any damaging effect on your eyes, but the dryness causes a lot of discomfort. For more information you can refer to effects of dry eye disease.

Common Symptoms of Dry Eyes at Night

Symptoms of dry eyes vary from one individual to another and it depends on the severity of the problem. We often refer this eye problem as dry eyes at night, because many of the symptoms of dry eyes are often visible particularly during night time. In a dry eye condition, because of decrease in tears at the end of the day, the soreness of eyes is more at night, than in the daytime. The upper and lower eyelids tend to get stuck to each other at night. As a result, many people get a sense of heaviness on the eyelids. In the morning, you may get a sticky feeling in the eyes due to mucous discharge. Even after getting a good night sleep, the eyes look tired in the morning. Some patients complain of a blurred vision just after waking up in the morning.

There are other symptoms of dry eyes at night, that can be observed at any time of the day but are worse at night.

• Burning sensation in the eyes, it gets aggravated if your eyes are exposed to allergens or smoke or blowing wind.
• Eyes become tired very easily while reading or working on computer or watching TV.
• With aging, the tears may not get spread in the eyes properly. Due to uneven distribution of tears in the eyes, you may feel sudden watery eyes.
• Itchy sensation of the eyes. Sometimes, it becomes so intense that one feels like scratching the eyes. Read more on scratchy eyes.
• A sensation of the presence of a foreign body inside the eyes.
• Eyes get sensitive when exposed to any bright light.
• Those who wear contact lenses find it uncomfortable to wear their lenses. To know more read on contact lenses for dry eyes.

What Causes Dry Eyes at Night?

Those people who spend long hours in front of computers, they often get dry eyes at night. This is because, number of blinks per minute decreases while working which leads to rapid evaporation of tears. In a dry condition, like in presence of strong air conditioner it becomes worse. Waking up till late hours at night can also make the condition bad.

Women going through menopause, often get dry eyes at night due to some hormonal changes. Inflammatory diseases of the eye or eyelid can affect the tear production of the gland and cause dry eyes. Other common diseases that can lead to dry eyes are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren's Disease. Due to some eye problems, if the eyes do not blink or close properly, then the tears get evaporated and cause dry eyes. Contact lenses can absorb the fluids from the surface of the eye and lead to dry eyes. Certain form of medications like anti histamines, anti depressant and beta blockers are also responsible for causing dry eyes. To know more refer to dry eye: causes and symptoms.

Treatment for Dry Eyes

The treatment of dry eyes involve supplying of tears to the eyes artificially, to retain the lubrication of the eyes. For this, you can use artificial tears in the form of eye drops. Select one such eye drop, that does not contain preservatives, as they cause irritation in eyes. The biggest advantage of the eye drops is, that it does not affect the vision and hence, can be used several times all through the day. Artificial tears in gel form are a more preferred option, as their effect lasts for a longer duration as compared to eye drops. Ointments of artificial tears are most effective for severe dry eyes at night. Since it is highly viscous, it can be used during the night only. If there is any inflammation in eyes or eyelids, then it should be treated to get rid of dry eyes. To know more read treatment for dry eyes.

Even though dry eyes at night is a common eye problem it should not be neglected. You should visit your ophthalmologist regularly for proper eye care. To prevent the dry eye condition, you should stay away from dry areas like air conditioning, windy areas and extreme hot or cold weather condition.