Why are my eyes sore and what can I do about it?

What are the causes of sore eyes? 

We’ve all been there, and it’s definitely not easy trying to carry on as normal if you have dry, sore or irritated eyes. Sometimes these symptoms come with changes to, or blurred vision, making concentrating on anything at all pretty hard work. 

Your eyes may react this way because of sensitivity to light, changes in your environment such as air quality (such as exceptionally cold or windy weather), exposure to chemicals and more. There are also a range of other health conditions, of which dry eyes are a symptom, such as auto-immune diseases. 

It is also possible to worsen dry eyes with consistent, unbroken screen time, so it’s likely many of us, without the same work-time coffee breaks, meetings and office chats to get us away from our screens, might be feeling the strain of staring down our computers all day at home. All of these things put strain on our eyes and can make it hard to concentrate. 

What happens if I rub my sore eyes?

You probably already know this, but rubbing sore eyes or eyelids is a big no, no. It might bring you momentary relief, but the likelihood is, you’re stoking the fire and increasing levels of inflammation. Excessive rubbing of your sore eyes will make your eye muscles tired too and the increased blood pressure can manifest as pain. 

With that in mind, let’s look at what you can do to help relieve your sore eye symptoms at home. 

How can I treat dry, sore eyes at home?

Ok, so we’ve covered what not to do, so what is allowed or likely to ease your symptoms? You might find that a gentle massage of the eyelids, following a hot compress (you can do this by using The Eye Doctor and following the heating and application instructions) will help with loosening any blockage in the glands in the eyelids which prevents your eye’s natural lubrication. Once you’ve applied the compress and completed a massage of the lid, you should start to feel some natural moisture returning. Be gentle and of course, if your symptoms worsen or progress, it might be time to speak to an eye health specialist or your GP.

Take good care of your eyes and make sure to keep the base of your lashes clean (we have wipes for that!), this will help prevent blockages which reduce lubrication and lead to your eyes becoming sore and dry.