Health & Fitness

Gritty eyes are one of the uncomfortable symptoms of dry eye syndrome, an eye disorder from which over 22 million suffer. Its a sandy sensation that feels like there are grains of sand or some other foreign object in the eye. Other common symptoms are redness of the eyes and a dry, burning sensation.

Women over age 35 are more predisposed to gritty eyes and the symptom tends to increase when approaching menopause. A major cause of dry eye syndrome is environmental factors such as dry, dusty climate and wind. Because of this, the severity of gritty eyes can increase and decrease in severity depending on the season or regional location. For example, you might have never suffered eye allergies living in the Midwest but cant even go outside in the high-pollen spring in north Texas.

Airborne dust particles and other pollutants easily come in contact with the eye, but are not always immediately noticed. After a while, these substances can build up, causing the sticky sensation and blocking the flow of lubricating tears. Dry, gritty eyes can also be the result of the use of antihistamines, decongestants, oral contraceptives or tranquilizers.

Gritty Eyes in the Morning
Because extremely tired eyes can have trouble secreting tears, they will instead produce a thin, translucent film on the inside of the eyelid. This film can dry overnight. While some of the mucous migrates to the corners of the eyes, some can remain inside the eyelids and cause the gritty eyes symptom. This crusty build up should be washed with warm water and air dried or gently patted dry. Rubbing your eyes can push the dried particles back to the surface of the eye and cause injury or infection.