What Causes Dry Eyes All of a Sudden Without a Previous History?

If you suddenly develop dry eye symptoms like a burning, gritty sensation, you may wonder how this could happen. Many factors, such as a change in medication, being in a new environment, wearing contact lenses, or spending more time in front of the screen, can cause dry eye.

Causes of New Dry Eye Symptoms

If you suddenly experience dry eye syndrome without any apparent reason, it’s important to investigate what may be causing it. This may be something that can quickly be remedied with a few easy steps.

Here are some common reasons you may suddenly experience dry eye:

• You were recently fitted with contact lenses and have been wearing them a lot. Contact lenses can block oxygen flow, interfere with tear production, and contribute to tear film disorders.
• You began taking a new medication, such as an antihistamine, decongestant, antidepressant, or oral contraceptives, all of which can lead to dry eye.
• You may be developing an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, or lupus, which can lead to dry eyes.
• Your eyelid is no longer completely closing over your eye, leaving the surface partially exposed and evaporating your tears vulnerable.
• You’ve relocated, and the climate is different than your prior location. There may be more pollution in the air, which triggers inflammation and plugs the oil glands.
• You’re approaching age 50, and the meibomian glands in your lids are not producing as much oil as they used to, causing your tears to evaporate more quickly.

Narrowing Down Symptoms

To figure out what’s going on, it’s important to take a closer look at the symptoms you’re experiencing. Here’s what dry eye looks and feels like:

• Your eyes may be red.
• You are sensitive to light.
• You feel a stinging or burning sensation.
• It feels as if there is something in your eye.
• Your vision is blurry.

Immediate Steps to Take for Symptom Relief

Even before you know exactly what’s at the root of your dry eyes, you can use strategies to soothe the uncomfortable symptoms you’re experiencing, as follows:

• Use artificial tear eye drops: One of the first things you can do is put artificial tears in your eyes a few times throughout the day. You can purchase these over the counter (OTC; without a prescription). Ensure they’re preservative-free, especially if you use them more than six times daily.
• Apply a warm compress to your lids: A warm compress, such as a washcloth soaked in warm water and wrung out, will help get your natural oils flowing onto the eye’s surface, which can help keep tears from evaporating.
• Check your environment: Minimizing your exposure to dry wind, air-conditioning, and smoke may help. You can wear wrap-around sunglasses outdoors, stop smoking, and avoid secondhand smoke, grills, or fires.
• Humidify your environment: You can set up a humidifier in your house to provide moisture to the air. This can make a big difference, especially in winter.
• Drink more water: Ensure you’re drinking enough and staying hydrated to produce the tears you need.
• Check your screen habits: If you spend much time in front of digital screens, take frequent breaks and blink more. When you’re focusing on phones or computers, you blink less. As you blink, you spread tears across the eye’s surface.

Path to Dry Eye Diagnosis

The path to determining the cause of your sudden dry eyes will usually begin with an ophthalmologist or optometrist (two types of eye specialists) taking a history to determine what may have caused the symptom. You may also be asked some screening questions about the symptoms and how severe these may be.

Your eye doctor will then determine whether dryness is linked to insufficient tears (aqueous deficient dry eye) or insufficient oil in the tears (evaporative dry eye).

They may conduct tests such the following:

• Schirmer’s test: This collects tears on paper strips and measures the amount of tears produced.
• Tear breakup time: This test can determine how long it takes for the tear film to break up after blinking.
• Osmolarity test: This test measures the salt concentration of your tears, which can show how unstable your tear film is and indicate the level of your dry eye.
• Meibomian gland testing: This testing may include examining the structure of the glands and expressing and examining oil from them.
• Assessing tear lipid layer: This testing evaluates the stability and quality of the oils in the tear film, which is necessary for preventing excessive evaporation.
• Analysis of tear markers: This test looks for inflammatory tear markers called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that indicate inflammation related to dry eye.

Besides testing, given the sudden nature of your symptoms, your practitioner may also want to rule out other things that may be causing this condition. New routines or health conditions that your provider may ask about include:

Treatment Options Knowing Dry Eye Cause

Once your ophthalmologist or optometrist is clear on what’s causing your sudden dry eye, they may prescribe treatment beyond OTC artificial tears.

Sometimes, this is very straightforward. For example, if the practitioner finds that a systemic medication you’re taking is at the root of the problem, they may suggest switching to another drug that doesn’t have this effect.

Likewise, if contact lens wear is to blame, they may recommend wearing the lenses less, switching to another type of lens, or avoiding contact lenses altogether.

If they determine that an underlying condition like rheumatoid arthritis is to blame for dry eyes, they may tailor the dry eye treatment accordingly. They may prescribe medication such as Restasis (cyclosporine) to reduce inflammation.

If artificial tears are insufficient, they may prescribe eye inserts that release medication. You place them between the lower lid and the eye daily.

For those with Sjögren’s syndrome, your practitioner may prescribe Vuity (pilocarpine), a medicine that enables you to produce more tears and saliva. They may also recommend putting in punctal plugs to keep the tears you have on the surface of the eye.

If the sudden onset of dry eye is environmentally based, your practitioner may suggest protective measures. This may include wearing sunglasses and a hat with a brim on blustery days to shield you from the wind and the evaporation of tears or using artificial tears or a gel drop if this is insufficient.

Summary

Sudden dry eye can affect anyone. You can often get immediate relief by using artificial tears and warm eye compresses. Look for causes in your environment or new medications. An eye doctor can help determine the cause of ongoing dry eye and determine appropriate treatment.