Does Drinking Water Help Dry Eyes? What It Can and Can't Do

Drinking enough water can help, and both the National Eye Institute and the American Optometric Association suggest 8 to 10 glasses a day as one of the habits that ease dry eye. The AOA lists it as a way to avoid becoming dehydrated. Water won't fix every case, though. Dry eye also happens when tears evaporate too quickly, and for most of our dry eye patients the main problem is clogged oil glands in the eyelids, which drinking more can't open. Think of water as one part of a dry eye home routine.

Key takeaways

Getting 8 to 10 glasses of water a day is one of the suggested habits for easing dry eye, though water won't fix every case.
Water can't open clogged oil glands in the eyelids, which are the main problem for most of our dry eye patients.
If your doctor has told you to limit liquids, for example because of heart failure, follow that advice instead of aiming for 8 to 10 glasses.
Dry or irritated eyes with eye pain or light sensitivity need a same-day visit, or an emergency room when we're closed, and contact lenses come out first.

Can dehydration cause dry eyes?

It can make them worse: the AOA lists avoiding dehydration among the steps that reduce dry eye symptoms. Dehydration means your body has lost too much fluid. Tears have three layers, oil, water and mucus, and the watery part comes from glands above your eyes. In babies and young children, one sign of dehydration is crying without tears.

In adults, the signs include feeling very thirsty, a dry mouth, dark urine, urinating less than usual, dry skin, tiredness and dizziness. If you notice those along with dry, gritty eyes, a glass of water is a sensible first step.

Some people run low more easily. Older adults can lose their sense of thirst as they age and drink too little, and dry eye is more likely after age 50.

Some medicines dry the eyes as well, including some that treat colds, allergies and high blood pressure. Our page on medications that cause dry eye lists common ones. Don't stop a prescribed medicine on your own; we treat the eyes with the medicine in the picture.

How much water should you drink for dry eyes?

Aim for 8 to 10 glasses a day, the amount in the National Eye Institute's dry eye advice. You need more when you're losing more: diarrhea, vomiting, heavy sweating and fever can all leave you dehydrated.

If your doctor has told you to limit liquids, for example because of heart failure, follow that advice instead.

Spread the glasses through the day. One on your desk is also a reminder to look away from the screen now and then, which helps the blinking side of dry eye; see our page on screens and dry eye.

Why doesn't drinking more water fix my dry eyes?

Water can't add oil to your tears. A smooth oil layer helps keep the water layer from evaporating, and that oil comes from the meibomian glands along the edges of the eyelids. When those glands clog, tears evaporate too quickly, and drinking more doesn't unclog them.

That gland problem, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), is the main issue for most of our dry eye patients. For them, water supports the tear film while the glands get treatment of their own.

Other triggers have nothing to do with how much you drink. Smoke, wind and dry climates increase tear evaporation, and long-term contact lens wear can contribute to dry eye. You may also blink less while looking at screens.

Can dehydration cause blurry vision?

Yes, in two ways. Blurry vision is a symptom of dry eye, so anything that dries your eyes can blur them. Dry eye blur tends to come and go: vision clears for a moment after a blink, then fades again as the tear film breaks up.

Dehydration can also lower your blood pressure. Low blood pressure can cause blurry vision, dizziness or lightheadedness and fainting, and dehydration is one of its causes.

Thirst and blurry vision together can point to diabetes as well. Increased thirst and hunger, frequent urination, blurry vision, tiredness and losing weight without trying are all symptoms of diabetes. If you're thirsty all the time and your vision keeps blurring, see your doctor about checking your blood sugar. People with diabetes also need regular diabetic eye exams.

What else helps dry eyes at home?

Water works alongside the other steps the National Eye Institute suggests for dry eye:

Avoid smoke, wind and air conditioning, and point car heaters away from your face.
Use a humidifier so the air at home doesn't get too dry. Our page on wind, weather and dry eye covers Santa Ana winds, air conditioning and flights.
Limit screen time and take breaks, and remember to blink regularly while you read or work at a computer.
Wear wraparound sunglasses outside.
Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.

The home care routine we set at dry eye exams adds preservative-free artificial tears during the day, warm compresses for clogged oil glands, gentle lid cleaning when crusting is present, and a gel or ointment at night if your eyes dry out during sleep.

When are dry eyes or blurry vision an emergency?

Call 911 for sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, even if it comes back; sudden double vision; double vision or a droopy eyelid that comes with a pupil that looks different, eye pain or a severe headache; or any change in vision with face drooping, arm weakness or trouble speaking. These can be signs of a stroke or another brain or nerve emergency.

Get medical help right away for dehydration with confusion, fainting, no urination, a rapid heartbeat or rapid breathing.

Call us immediately at 310-828-2010 for a same-day exam if you notice a curtain or shadow over part of your vision, new flashes or a shower of new floaters, or if you have severe eye pain with headache, nausea or halos. We see urgent eye problems the same day during office hours, Monday 10am to 5pm and Tuesday to Friday 8am to 5pm; see our urgent eye care page. When we're closed, go to an emergency room.

Dry or irritated eyes with eye pain or sensitivity to light also need a same-day visit; if you wear contact lenses, take them out first. When we're closed, go to an emergency room for these. For blurry vision that comes on suddenly, take out any contact lenses, then call us and come in for an exam if it clears right away, or go to an emergency room if it doesn't. Blur that has come on slowly and stays after blinking needs an exam soon.

How we treat dry eye at Cohenmehr Optometry

If your eyes stay dry while you're drinking enough, it's time to look for the cause. A dry eye evaluation starts with imaging of the meibomian glands and checks of tear film stability and the eye's surface, so treatment matches your type of dry eye.

Depending on what we find, treatment can include IPL to melt thick oils and calm inflamed lid margins, OptiLIFT to strengthen the muscles that close and blink and help the oil glands flow, punctal plugs that keep your own tears on the eye longer, and prescription dry eye drops that calm inflammation, help your eyes make more tears or slow evaporation.

Book a visit with our optometrists in Los Angeles if relief from drops lasts minutes rather than hours, your mornings start crusty, burning or blurry, or you're using drops more than four times a day.

Questions patients ask

What causes blurry vision?

Several things, and the pattern helps tell them apart. Refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, are the most common type of vision problem, and blurry vision is their most common symptom; glasses or contact lenses correct it. Dry eye blurs vision that clears for a moment when you blink, cataracts can make vision cloudy or blurry, and high blood sugar can blur it too. Sudden loss of vision, or blur with stroke signs, means calling 911; other sudden blur needs an exam with us if it clears right away, or an emergency room if it doesn't.

What does it mean to have dry eyes?

It means your tears can't keep the front of your eyes wet and comfortable. That happens when your eyes make fewer tears or when tears evaporate too quickly, and it can bring a scratchy feeling, stinging or burning, redness, sensitivity to light and blurry vision. Anyone can get it, but it's more likely if you're 50 or older, female or wear contact lenses. Our page on types of dry eye explains the two main kinds.

Does drinking more water help watery eyes?

Not when dry eye is behind the watering, and the AOA lists watery eyes among dry eye symptoms. A dry, irritated surface sets off reflex tears that spill over instead of staying on the eye, so drinking more won't stop them. Treating the dryness does: preservative-free artificial tears on a schedule and lid care steady the tear film, and clogged oil glands need treatment of their own. Watering that's constant and mostly in one eye can mean blocked tear drainage, which the exam checks. Our page on why dry eyes water explains the cycle.

Can anxiety make your eyes dry?

Some medicines used for anxiety or depression can. Dry eye can be a side effect of some medicines that treat depression, and our page on medications that cause dry eye lists anxiety medicines among the usual suspects. Keep taking yours as prescribed. We treat the eyes with the medicine in the picture and, with your consent, share findings with your prescriber.

Sources

Written by

Dr. Bijan Cohenmehr, OD

Founder of Cohenmehr Optometry, in practice for over 40 years. He leads the practice’s dry eye care and myopia management. A graduate of SUNY College of Optometry.

About Dr. Bijan →

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