That gritty, scratchy feeling that makes you blink over and over can be frustrating, especially when you cannot see anything in your eye. Sometimes, the cause really is a small eyelash, speck of dust, or makeup particle. But if the sensation keeps coming back, it may be a sign of dry eye disease or another issue affecting the surface of your eye.
Patients in Shelton have trusted our team for quality eye care for more than 30 years. Led by Dr. Clinton McLean, who has more than 40 years of experience in the field, our practice offers care for everyday eye concerns as well as more advanced treatment options for ongoing discomfort.
Why does my eye feel gritty or scratchy?
Your eye may feel gritty when the surface is irritated, dry, inflamed, or not properly protected by your tear film. A healthy tear film keeps the front of the eye smooth and comfortable. When tears evaporate too quickly or do not have the right balance of oil, water, and mucus, the surface can become irritated.
Common causes of a “something stuck in my eye” feeling include:
- Dry eye disease
- Allergies or environmental irritation
- Contact lens discomfort
- Eyelid inflammation
- A scratched cornea
- A small foreign object
- Screen-related eye strain
- Meibomian gland dysfunction, which affects the oil layer of your tears
If the feeling improves after blinking or using artificial tears but returns later, dry eye may be part of the problem.
How can dry eye cause a foreign body sensation?
Dry eye can make the surface of the eye feel rough, even when nothing is actually there. Without enough stable tears, your eyelids may move across the eye less smoothly. This can lead to burning, watering, redness, light sensitivity, blurred vision, and the sensation of sand or grit in the eye.
A dry eye evaluation can help identify whether your symptoms are related to tear quality, tear production, eyelid health, or another cause. We offer dry eye care in Shelton and Waterbury to help relieve discomfort and improve quality of life.
What treatments can help relieve the feeling?
Treatment depends on what is causing the irritation. For mild dryness, your eye doctor may recommend artificial tears, lid hygiene, lifestyle adjustments, or changes to your contact lens routine. For more persistent symptoms, advanced dry eye treatments may be recommended.
Options may include TearCare® for dry eye, a 15-minute in-office procedure designed to treat meibomian gland dysfunction by using gentle heat and massage to help clear blocked oil glands. We also offer low level light therapy with the Equinox system from Marco to help relieve dryness, irritation, and other dry eye symptoms.
For patients with significant dryness or contact lens discomfort, customized scleral contact lenses may help protect the eye’s surface and provide more comfortable vision.
When should you schedule an eye exam?
You should schedule an eye exam if the sensation does not go away, keeps returning, or comes with pain, redness, discharge, light sensitivity, or vision changes. Do not rub your eye, especially if you think something may be stuck, because rubbing can scratch the cornea.
A comprehensive eye exam can help your eye doctor check for dryness, irritation, scratches, infection, or other eye health concerns.
Find relief for irritated, gritty eyes
A gritty feeling in your eye is not something you have to ignore or live with. Whether your symptoms are caused by dry eye, contact lens irritation, or another issue, our team can evaluate your eyes and recommend treatment options that fit your needs. Schedule an appointment in Shelton or Waterbury to get answers and start finding relief.
