How Shampooing Your Eyelashes Every Day Can Prevent Dry Eye

Dry eye disease is a common eye condition that can be uncomfortable and affect your vision. But dry eyes aren’t as simple as they sound. A number of things can trigger dry eye disease. And, sometimes, a few simple changes to your routine can go a long way toward fixing the problem. 

Keep reading to find out how shampooing your eyelashes can keep your eyes feeling fresh all the time.

What are the symptoms of dry eye disease?

Dry eye disease isn’t always obvious. The symptoms of dry eye syndrome can include:

• Red eyes or eyelids

• A scratchy or gritty feeling, especially when you blink

• Eye pain

• Changes in your vision

• Crusting around your eyes

• The feeling that you have something in your eye

• Increased blinking

• Tears leaking out

If you’ve been putting up with dry eye disease for a while, you might not even realize there’s a problem. Many people never seek medical care for their symptoms. But over time, dry eye can lead to eye damage and affect your vision. Getting treatment can help you feel better and keep your eyes and vision healthy. 

Why does washing your eyelids help dry eye?

Your eyelash line is the tiny strip of skin along the edges of your eyelids, right where your eyelashes grow. Shampooing your eyelash line helps keep your eyes healthy for several reasons.

1. Calms blepharitis

Shampooing your eyelashes can help treat inflammation of the eyelid margin, called blepharitis. 

Dead skin cells and dirt naturally build up around the base of your lashes over time. And germs, especially certain types of bacteria and parasites, are eager to live in that environment. This leads to inflammation in your eyelashes, eyelash follicles, and oil (meibomian) glands. This inflammation can lead to dry eye.

Shampooing your eyelashes and eyelid margin removes buildup and germs. This helps lower inflammation and can stop new inflammation from starting, which will ease dry eye symptoms.

2. Removes germs trapped by contact lenses

Normally, germs that venture onto the eye surface get whisked away quickly by the constant flow of tears across the front of the eye. But contact lenses interrupt that flow. Germs that would normally just keep moving get trapped in one place. This can lead to inflammation. 

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Shampooing your eyelids can help remove any trapped germs and lessen inflammation. Just make sure to remove your contacts before shampooing your eyelids.

3. Protects the tear film

Meibomian glands are tiny oil glands along your eyelid margin. They add a layer of oil to your tears, which keeps tears from evaporating too quickly. Your meibomian glands can become clogged. And when that happens, they can be permanently scarred shut. This can leave you with tears that are low on oil — and eyes that are especially vulnerable to dryness, irritation, and infection.

Washing your eyelids helps keep your meibomian glands open so that oil can get into your tears. Having enough oil in your tears will ease dry eye symptoms.

How do I wash my eyelids?

You can wash your eyelids with a tear-free shampoo, gentle no-tears face wash, or a lid scrub specific product like OcuSoft or TheraTears. When you’re washing your face, shut your eyes gently. With one finger, gently rub your upper eyelid back and forth about a dozen times, right at the base of your eyelashes. Repeat the same process for your lower lid by placing your finger just below your eyelashes. 

Eyelid scrubs like OcuSoft come with gently textured pads for a slightly more vigorous scrub. And antiseptic eyelid sprays, like Avenova or Hypochlor, can be used afterward to further reduce the number of germs hanging out around your eyelashes.

Once a day is all that’s needed. And be gentle. Washing your eyelids shouldn’t hurt.

What treatments are available for dry eye disease?

Daily eyelash shampoos can help ease dry eye symptoms. But many people need more help to completely relieve their symptoms. Your eye doctor can help you find the right treatment, some of which are outlined below.

OTC lubricating eye drops

Over-the-counter (OTC) lubricating eye drops are a first-choice treatment for dry eye. These drops contain water and other gentle chemicals. They’re intended to work just like tears to protect the surface of your eyes. 

Home remedies to help with dry eye

Here are a few things you can do at home to help prevent and treat dry eye:

• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

• Add an omega-3 fatty acid supplement to your diet, like flaxseed oil or fish oil.

• Limit screen time as much as possible.

• Take regular breaks from screen use, and use this time to relax your eyes.

• Remember to blink regularly, especially when using a computer screen.

• Place moist, warm compresses over your eyelids for a few minutes each day.

Prescription treatments for dry eye

There are also FDA-approved prescription medications that can help treat dry eye disease, such as: 

• Restasis (cyclosporine) and Xiidra (lifitegrast): These are medicated eye drops that stop eye inflammation and can keep it from coming back. 

• Miebo (perfluorohexyloctane): This is a medicated eye drop that stops tears from evaporating. 

• Tyrvaya (varenicline): This is a nasal spray that increases tear production. 

When should you seek care for dry eye symptoms?

You should see an eye doctor if you have dry eye symptoms. Your eye doctor can do special tests to see if you’re making enough tears. These include:

• Testing the quantity and quality of your tears

• An assessment of your blinking, and how well you close your eyes to sleep

• Treating for demodex mites that often live in eyelash hair follicles

• A check of your meibomian gland health

Using these results, they can help you come up with a treatment plan for your dry eye. They can also figure out if other medical conditions are contributing to your dry eye symptoms, like:

• Allergies

• Sjögren’s syndrome and other autoimmune disorders

• Some skin conditions, such as rosacea or pemphigoid

• Low androgen levels or androgen insensitivity syndromes

Pinpointing causes and starting treatment can ease symptoms and keep your vision healthy. 

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Written by:

Kerry R. McGee, MD, FAAP

Kerry McGee, MD, FAAP, has over a decade of experience caring for babies, children, and teenagers as a primary care pediatrician. She has a special interest in adolescent health, particularly in adolescent mental health.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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