Key takeaways:
Many people wake up with dry eyes. Causes include dry eye syndrome, medication side effects, incomplete eyelid closing, and allergies.
Lubricating eye ointment, warm compresses, eyelid scrubs, and changing your sleep environment can prevent having dry eyes in the morning.
If home remedies don’t work, prescription medications and treatments can help relieve dry eyes.
Have you ever woken up after a good night’s rest only to find that your eyes feel gritty? Or maybe your eyes feel so dry that you have to blink a few times just to see clearly? Waking up with dry eyes can be a rough start to the morning.
Irritating, painful eyes don’t have to ruin your wake-up routine. Here’s how you can pinpoint what’s causing your dry eyes and how to keep your eyes comfortable as you sleep.
What causes dry eyes in the morning?
There are several reasons for why you’re waking up with dry eyes. Figuring out what’s causing your dry eyes is the first step to finding long-lasting relief. A visit to the eye doctor can help you solve the mystery quickly and effectively. Before you go, think about these potential causes.
1. Damaged tear film
Your eye is covered by a film of tears all the time. These tears lubricate and protect your eyes. When the tear film gets damaged, people develop a condition called dry eye syndrome. Dry eye can happen if your tear (lacrimal) gland doesn’t make enough tears. It can also happen if your tears don’t contain enough oil, which causes them to evaporate too fast.
People are more likely to develop damaged tear films as they get older. Hormone changes from menopause can also trigger dry eye. Certain autoimmune conditions can trigger it too.
2. Clogged oil glands
The oil ducts along your eyelid make the oily part of your tear film. Without this oil, tears evaporate too fast and cause dry eyes. If your oil glands are clogged or inflamed, they can’t release oil into your tears. This leads to dry eyes.
3. Open eyelids
When you sleep, your eyelids close and hold your tear film in place. This keeps your eyes from drying out. And it substitutes for the blinking you normally do during the day. But some people sleep with their eyes partially open. This is called nocturnal lagophthalmos, and it can make you wake up with dry eyes.
People who’ve had surgery on their face or jaw or had a stroke might not close their eyelids completely at night. People with thyroid eye disease, Bell’s palsy, or Ramsay Hunt syndrome may have trouble closing their eyelids fully too.
4. Medications
Some medications can affect your tears and lead to dry eyes. The list is quite long and includes common medications like:
Blood pressure medications
Allergy medications
Antidepressants
Diuretics (water pills)
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like ibuprofen
Can medications cause dry eye? Check our list of medications that can affect your eyes to see if yours is on the list.
Having blurry vision in the morning? Dry eye could be to blame. Here’s how dry eye can impact your vision.
Searching for the best ways to manage dry eye? Take a look at how others keep their eyes comfortable.
5. Dust and dander
Dr. Alan Solinsky, an ophthalmologist at Hartford Hospital Eye Surgery Center, urges people to keep their environment in mind. “If your dry eye is suddenly new, determine if there’s a new pet or new pillow that might be causing it,” he said.
Common indoor allergens like dust and dander can trigger dry eyes — even if you don’t have a history of allergies.
Low humidity, whether from air conditioning or heating, might also cause dry eyes. So can running a fan in your room.
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How can you prevent dry eyes while sleeping?
There might be one or many reasons you’re waking up with dry eyes. But there are steps you can take to keep your eyes moist overnight.
Change your sleep environment
No matter what’s causing your dry eyes, changing your sleep environment should be your first action item. Focus on minimizing allergens like dust and dander. Make sure to wash sheets, pillows, and comforters weekly in hot water. This will lower the amount of dust and mites. You can also consider mattress or pillow covers.
Prolonged screen time can lead to dry eye syndrome, so give your eyes a break from screens throughout the day. It’s also a good idea to avoid smoking, since smoke is another dry eye trigger.
If you use a fan, move it away from the head of your bed. In cold months, run a humidifier — especially if you have forced hot air heat.
Use an eye ointment
Use a lubricating eye ointment before going to bed at night. These ointments are available OTC. They’re thick, so they stay in place better overnight than artificial tears. Since they‘re thick, they’ll blur your vision. So it’s best to put these ointments on right before sleep.
Ointments can also take time to naturally wash out when you wake up. If this gets in the way of your morning routine, you can try artificial tears in a gel form instead.
Eye ointments do the hard work of keeping your eyes moist overnight. They’re especially helpful if your tear film is damaged.
Try a lid scrub or warm compress
An eyelid scrub or warm compress before bedtime encourages your eyelids’ oil glands to open. That extra oil can strengthen your natural tear film overnight.
You can buy a reusable warm pack that’s made for use over the eyes. Or you can make your own warm pack with a sock and dry white rice. Eyelid scrubs are available from product lines like OCuSoft or TheraTears. You can also use a tear-free shampoo or face wash.
Talk with your healthcare team about your medications
If you’re taking any medications, talk with your healthcare team about whether they could be causing your dry eyes. Your team may be able to switch you to a medication that doesn’t affect your tears. But keep in mind that you shouldn’t stop or change your medication without talking with your team first.
See an eye doctor
If you don’t know why you’re waking up with dry eyes, see an eye doctor. You should also see an eye doctor if treatments aren’t making your symptoms better. There are prescription options that can relieve dry eyes. Some of these options are specifically for nighttime use, like moisture goggles and therapeutic contact lenses.
Frequently asked questions
You might wake up with dry eyes after sleeping in your contact lenses. Other causes of dry, irritated eyes include:
Allergies
Entropion (when the edge of the eyelid turns inward, causing lashes to rub against the eye)
Episcleritis (inflammation of the thin layer of tissue over the white part of the eye)
Low vitamin A and D may be linked with dry eye. However, it’s not clear if this causes dry eye directly. Vitamin A helps support eye health, but vitamin A deficiencies are very rare in the U.S. Low vitamin D levels may affect tear quality. Studies suggest that vitamin A and vitamin D supplements may help treat dry eye.
High blood pressure doesn’t cause dry eye. But some medications used to treat high blood pressure can cause dry eyes as a side effect. High blood pressure can affect the eyes in other ways. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in the eye and cause vision loss.
Yes, dry eyes can be a symptom of diabetes. People with diabetes can have difficulty producing tears, leading to dry eyes.
You might wake up with dry eyes after sleeping in your contact lenses. Other causes of dry, irritated eyes include:
Allergies
Entropion (when the edge of the eyelid turns inward, causing lashes to rub against the eye)
Episcleritis (inflammation of the thin layer of tissue over the white part of the eye)
Low vitamin A and D may be linked with dry eye. However, it’s not clear if this causes dry eye directly. Vitamin A helps support eye health, but vitamin A deficiencies are very rare in the U.S. Low vitamin D levels may affect tear quality. Studies suggest that vitamin A and vitamin D supplements may help treat dry eye.
High blood pressure doesn’t cause dry eye. But some medications used to treat high blood pressure can cause dry eyes as a side effect. High blood pressure can affect the eyes in other ways. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in the eye and cause vision loss.
Yes, dry eyes can be a symptom of diabetes. People with diabetes can have difficulty producing tears, leading to dry eyes.
The bottom line
Waking up with dry eyes can be uncomfortable. Medical conditions, medications, and allergies can all cause people to wake up with dry eyes. Making fewer tears can also dry out your eyes overnight. This tends to happen as people get older.
Lubricating eye ointment can protect your eyes from drying out overnight. It’s a good idea to work with an eye doctor. They can help you figure out why you’re waking up with dry eyes and find the best treatment options.
Why trust our experts?
References
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Golden, M. I., et al. (2024). Dry eye syndrome. StatPearls.
Guillon, M., et al. (2019). Rationale for 24-hour management of dry eye disease: A review. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye: The Journal of the British Contact Lens Association.
Hwang, J. S., et al. (2019). Vitamin D enhances the efficacy of topical artificial tears in patients with dry eye disease. Cornea.
Kaur, K., et al. (2024). Meibomian gland disease. StatPearls.
Martinez, J. M., et al. (2002). Lagophthalmos: An unresolved problem. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
MedlinePlus. (2024). Entropion.
Schonberg, S., et al. (2023). Episcleritis. StatPearls.
