Causes of Dry Eyelids, and How to Treat Them

Maintaining a proper balance of hydration for your eyes is important – especially when it comes to caring for your vision today and in the long term. When your eyes are dry, it leaves them vulnerable to outside elements. Similarly, when your eyelids are dry, those outside elements may even come directly from your dry skin. 

If you suffer from the feeling of dry eyelids, you’re more likely to experience itchiness, irritation, and other symptoms of Dry Eye Disease (DED). Dry Eye Disease is a chronic disease that impacts millions. You may even notice discoloration in the skin, as well as potential damage to your eyes and vision. All of these mean that your dry eyelids and dry eyes are something to take seriously.

Causes of Dry Eyelids

While dry eyelids can have a few different causes, there are a few more common root causes. 

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

Eczema, or Atopic Dermatitis, is a common cause of irritation characterized by itching, dry or even scaly skin, or thickening of skin tissue. When it comes to your eyelids, having dry or scaly skin can cause dry skin to fall into the eyes and build up. This build-up can not just be a sign of eczema, but also a block to the glands in your eyes that deliver an essential part of the tear fluid: an oil called meibum. 

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is a temporary irritation caused by an outside factor. Outside factors can be an abrasive substance, for example, make-up, sunscreen, certain face wash or hair products, chlorine from pools, and even dust. 

Environment

The environment you live, work and play in can also have a major impact on dry eyelids and dry eyes – a frigid or arid environment can dry up moisture throughout the body, causing accelerated evaporation of tears that moisten the eyes. 

Treatments for Dry Eyelids and Solutions for Dry Eyes

For relief, it’s important that you provide what your eyes need; appropriate hydration. The three causes above have dry conditions in common: they prevent or do not provide sufficient moisture to your eyelids. The absence of moisture causes abnormally dry conditions that can cause the body to react.

Normally, you receive this hydration through your tear fluid, which protects the eyes. The tears even coat the inner parts of the eyelids during blinking. Your eyelids are an important part of your ocular ecosystem because they contain the glands that create the oils called “meibum” that coat and protect your tear fluids from evaporation. The meibum travels through the Meibomian glands to small ducts at the edge of the eyelids where the oil is secreted every time we blink to coat the outer surface of the eye to lock in moisture. However, when your eyelids are dry, this can negatively impact the glands, creating not only dry eyelids but dry eyes. 

To restore hydration and provide relief to the eyes, many doctors specializing in the treatment of dry eyes recommend a daily regimen of EverTears®. EverTears® is an FDA-registered pad that doesn’t just provide that essential hydration, but also creates the precise level of warmth needed through instant self-heating technology. This combination effectively loosens any blockages from dry, irritated skin from the eyelids. In a moist environment, the heat soothes the eyes. After two minutes, you can use EverTears® to hygienically and effortlessly wipe away obstructions, proving efficacy as a solution for dry eyes. Treating the symptoms of dry eyelids with EverTears®  does double duty. EverTears® treats not just dry or irritated eyelid skin, but also supports your vision by addressing the underlying cause of dry eyes, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. This combination of heat and eyelid cleaning and moisturizing  helps keep your eyes and eyelids healthy and irritation-free.