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Dry Eyes - NHS

Tier 1: Established: peer-reviewed research or government health authority
Publisher: NHS (National Health Service, UK) · Published: January 6, 2025 · Accessed: September 3, 2026

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Claims this source supports

  • Dry-eye symptoms: eyes that are itchy, sore, gritty, red, blurry, or sensitive to light, or that water more than normal.
  • You can get dry eyes if you do not make enough tears or your tears dry up quickly; you are more likely to if you are over 50, wear contact lenses, look at computer screens for long periods without a break, spend time in air-conditioned or heated environments, are in windy/dry/dusty conditions, smoke or drink alcohol, take certain medicines (e.g. some antidepressants or blood pressure medicines), or have a condition such as blepharitis, Sjogren's syndrome or lupus.
  • Self-care that helps: clean your eyelids every day (soak a flannel in warm, not hot, water and press it gently on the area around your eyes - this makes the oil produced by the glands around your eyes more runny; massage the eyelids gently; wipe away excess oil, crusts, bacteria, dust or grime); take breaks to rest your eyes when watching TV or using a screen; keep the computer screen just below eye level; use a humidifier to stop the air getting dry; take contact lenses out and wear glasses to rest your eyes.
  • A pharmacist can advise on dry-eye self-care and on what you can buy to help, such as eye drops, gels, ointments or allergy medicines, and whether you need to see an optician or GP.
  • Non-urgent: see an optician or GP if you still have dry eyes after trying home treatments for a few weeks, or if there is any change in the shape of your eyelids; they can check the cause and may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for tests.
  • Urgent: ask for an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 if your eye is painful and red, or you have a red eye and wear contact lenses (you could have an eye infection).
  • Emergency (999 or A&E): any change to your sight (wavy lines, flashing, loss of vision), pain when looking at light, a red eye with a severe headache and feeling sick, a very dark red eye, an injured or pierced eye, or something stuck in the eye.