Can dry eyes cause inflammation​?

Dry eyes are a very common problem. Many people in Gosforth and around the UK have eyes that feel sore, tired, or gritty. Dry eyes can make simple things, like reading or working on a screen, feel hard. But many people also ask us:

“Can dry eyes cause inflammation?”

The short answer is yes.
Dry eyes can lead to inflammation, and inflammation can also make dry eyes worse.
This can turn into a cycle that keeps your eyes feeling uncomfortable.

In this blog, we explain:

Let’s take a look at how dryness and inflammation affect your eyes and what you can do to feel better.

What are dry eyes?

Dry eyes happen when:

• Your eyes do not make enough tears, or
• Your tears do not stay on your eyes long enough

Tears keep your eyes:

• Wet
• Smooth
• Clear
• Protected from dust and germs

When you don’t have enough good-quality tears, your eyes can feel:

• Dry
• Burning
• Gritty
• Watery
• Blurry

Dry eyes can range from mild to severe.
Some people only feel symptoms once in a while.
Others feel them every day.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting itself.
It is a natural response to irritation, injury, or infection.

Inflammation can make tissues:

• Red
• Sore
• Swollen
• Warm

In your eyes, inflammation may affect:

• Your eyelids
• Your tear glands
• The surface of your eyes
• The tiny oil glands along your eyelids

Inflammation can be mild or strong.
When it becomes long-lasting, it can disturb your tears and cause dry eyes.

How dry eyes can cause inflammation

Even small amounts of dryness can stress the surface of your eyes.
When the eye surface becomes stressed, your body reacts by creating inflammation.

Here’s how the cycle works:

1. Tears dry out too fast

When tears evaporate quickly, the surface of your eyes becomes exposed.

2. The eye surface becomes irritated

This irritation sends a signal to your body that something is wrong.

3. The body responds with inflammation

Your immune system tries to fix the problem by creating inflammation.

4. Inflammation makes dry eyes worse

Inflammation can harm the tear glands and the tiny oil glands in your eyelids.
This makes your tears weaker and causes even more dryness.

This cycle repeats unless it is treated.

How inflammation can cause dry eyes

Inflammation can also be the first problem, not just the result.

Inflammation may cause:

• Blocked oil glands in your eyelids
• Poor tear quality
• Red and swollen eyelids
• Irritation on the eye surface
• Damage to the natural tear film

When the glands in your eyelids become blocked (a common condition called meibomian gland dysfunction), less oil reaches your tears.
This causes your tears to evaporate too quickly, and soon your eyes feel dry again.

What does inflammation from dry eyes feel like?

You may have inflammation if you notice:

• Redness
• Burning
• Stinging
• Swelling of eyelids
• Feeling like sand is in your eyes
• Light sensitivity
• Sticky eyelids
• Tired or heavy eyes
• Blurry vision that improves when you blink

Some people also feel pain or soreness around the eyes.

You may also notice watery eyes.
This may feel strange, but watery eyes often mean your eyes are too dry.
When the surface is irritated, your eyes make more reflex tears, not proper lubricating tears.

What makes inflammation worse?

Certain things can make dryness and inflammation stronger:

• Long hours on screens
• Windy or dry weather
• Sitting near heating or air-conditioning
• Stress
• Not drinking enough water
• Wearing contact lenses for too long
• Rubbing your eyes
• Makeup or skincare blocking eyelid glands
• Not cleaning your eyelids regularly

When these habits continue, inflammation can become long-lasting and harder to treat.

How to treat dry eyes and inflammation

The good news is that both dryness and inflammation can be treated.
Most people feel better with the right care.

At-home steps to help

You can start with simple changes, such as:

• Using tear drops (preservative-free)
• Blinking more often
• Taking screen breaks
• Using a warm compress to open blocked glands
• Gently cleaning your eyelids
• Drinking more water
• Using a humidifier
• Avoiding rubbing your eyes
• Resting your eyes more often

These steps may help reduce the dryness and calm mild inflammation.

Professional dry eye treatments at My Eye Clinic in Gosforth

For long-lasting or strong inflammation, at-home steps may not be enough.
At My Eye Clinic, we offer advanced treatments that target the root cause of dry eyes and inflammation.

Here are some of the treatments we may use:

IPL Therapy (Intense Pulsed Light)

This treatment uses gentle flashes of light to reduce eyelid inflammation and help your glands work better.

BlephEx®

A deep cleaning treatment that removes bacteria and debris from the eyelids.
This reduces inflammation and improves overall eye comfort.

Prescription drops

These can help reduce swelling, redness, and irritation on the eye surface.

With the right care, many people see big improvements in both comfort and vision.

When should you get help?

You should see an eye specialist if:

• Your eyes feel dry every day
• Your eyes look red
• You feel burning or stinging
• Your eyelids feel swollen
• You have blurry vision
• Your symptoms last more than a week
• You feel pain in or around your eyes
• You have trouble wearing contact lenses
• Over-the-counter drops do not help

Getting help early can stop inflammation from getting worse.

Book a dry eye assessment

A dry eye assessment at My Eye Clinic looks at:

• Your tear levels
• Your tear quality
• The health of your eyelid glands
• Any signs of inflammation
• The surface of your eyes

This helps us find the exact cause of your symptoms and create a treatment plan that fits your needs.

Take our dry eye suitability self-test

Not sure if inflammation is causing your dry eyes?
Take our quick and simple dry eye suitability self-test.