Feels Like Something in My Eye? Causes of Gritty Eyes

When it feels like something is in your eye but nothing is there, dry eye and blepharitis are the first causes to check. Dry eye causes a scratchy feeling, like there's something in your eye, and artificial tears are the most common treatment for mild cases. Blepharitis, inflamed eyelid edges, can cause a gritty or burning sensation, and treating it starts with warm compresses and gentle lid scrubs. Eyelashes rubbing against the eye from a lid that turns inward, or a scratch on the cornea that's still healing, cause discomfort too. If something really is stuck in your eye, don't rub it: call us at 310-828-2010 and come straight in, since we remove these in the office, and go to an emergency room only when we're closed.

Key takeaways

Dry eye and blepharitis, inflamed eyelid edges, are the first suspects, though lashes rubbing from an inward-turning lid or a healing scratch can feel the same.
Artificial tears are the most common treatment for mild dry eye, and blepharitis care starts with warm compresses and gentle lid scrubs.
If something really is stuck, don't rub your eye: call us and come straight in, or go to an emergency room only when we're closed.
Call 911 for sudden vision loss in one or both eyes, even if it comes back.

Why does it feel like something is in my eye when nothing is there?

Because several problems on the surface of the eye or along the eyelids produce the same sensation. Pink eye is one of them: the CDC lists a feeling that something is in the eye, or an urge to rub it, among its symptoms.

Sometimes a speck is there after all: a loose eyelash is one of the foreign bodies that can irritate the eye. Contact lenses worn longer than recommended or not cleaned properly can irritate it too.

Each cause has its own clues:

Possible cause	Clues that point to it
Dry eye	A scratchy feeling with stinging, burning, redness or blurry vision
Blepharitis	Red, swollen, itchy eyelids, a gritty or burning feeling, crusting
An inward-turning eyelid	Eyelashes rubbing against the eye
A healing scratch	It started after an injury, with pain, watering, blurred vision or light sensitivity
Pinguecula	A yellowish raised spot on the white of the eye, with redness or irritation
Contact lens problems	It started with lens wear, especially overwear
Pink eye	Redness, discharge, crusting and an urge to rub

Can dry eye make your eyes feel gritty?

Yes. Dry eye causes a scratchy feeling, like there's something in your eye, along with stinging or burning, red eyes, light sensitivity and blurry vision. It's common: nearly 16.4 million Americans have it.

It can make your eyes water too, with excessive tearing after periods of dryness. You're more likely to have dry eye if you're 50 or older, female or a contact lens wearer, and long hours on screens can bring it on.

At home, avoid smoke, wind and air conditioning, run a humidifier, take breaks from screens and wear wraparound sunglasses outside. Artificial tears, sold without a prescription, are the most common treatment for mild dry eye.

If the grittiness keeps coming back, the cause needs treating. In our office that most often means the oil glands along the eyelids, which is what our dry eye program is built around.

Could it be a scratched eye that's still healing?

It could. A corneal abrasion is a cut or scratch on the cornea, the clear front part of the eye. Fingernails, mascara brushes and tree branches can cause one, and so can a contact lens with a rough or torn edge.

The pain ranges from mild discomfort to an intense, stabbing feeling, and blurred vision, light sensitivity and heavy watering can come with it. The surface often heals within 24 to 48 hours, and an injury that seemed healed but becomes painful again needs immediate attention.

Small scratches usually heal on their own, but deeper ones can scar the cornea and cause vision problems. We treat a scratched eye as a same-day visit (an emergency room when we're closed), and our corneal abrasion guide explains the care, including what we do when a scratch keeps coming back, such as amniotic membranes.

Could my eyelids or eyelashes be the cause?

Yes. Blepharitis, a common inflammation of the eyelids, can cause a gritty or burning sensation, excessive tearing, itching, red and swollen eyelids, dry eyes and crusting. The National Eye Institute lists a feeling that there's something in your eye among its symptoms.

Treatment starts at home: warm compresses loosen the crusts, then you gently scrub the lid edges with water and baby shampoo or a store-bought lid cleanser. Our blepharitis guide covers the in-office options.

Eyelashes can be the problem on their own. If an eyelid turns inward, the lashes rub against the eye, causing discomfort or damage, and blepharitis can progress to missing or misdirected eyelashes. A lash that keeps rubbing the eye needs an exam, because the fix depends on why it's happening.

Could a bump on the white of my eye be the cause?

It can be. A pinguecula is a yellowish, raised growth on the conjunctiva, the clear membrane over the white of the eye. It usually sits on the side closer to the nose, can be in one or both eyes, and is relatively permanent.

A pinguecula is usually harmless, but it sometimes causes redness or irritation. Long-term exposure to sun and ultraviolet light is thought to be the most common reason one develops, so wrap-around sunglasses and a brimmed hat help prevent them. When one flares, your doctor may prescribe artificial tears, gels or ointments for lubrication, and in more severe cases steroid drops to control the inflammation. Our pinguecula page covers sun protection in more detail.

What if there really is something in my eye?

If the eye has been cut, or an object has pierced it, don't rinse it, pull on the lid or try to remove anything: protect the eye without pressing on it and go to an emergency room. For a speck of dust or a loose eyelash, try blinking several times, then rinse the eye with clean water or saline (salt) solution, or pull your upper eyelid down over your lower eyelid. Don't rub your eye, because you could scratch your cornea.

If it's still stuck, don't rub it or try to remove it yourself. Call us at 310-828-2010 and come straight in, because we remove these in the office; go to an emergency room only when the office is closed.

Chemicals can burn the eye, and the pain may make you close it, which traps the irritant against the eye. Start rinsing right away with lots of room-temperature water, take out contact lenses as soon as you can, and keep rinsing for at least 15 to 20 minutes while you blink. Then call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, and call us or go to an emergency room. Go straight to an emergency room after rinsing if the symptoms are severe or the office is closed, and get an urgent eye exam if pain, redness, blurred vision or tearing are still there an hour after you started rinsing.

When should I see a doctor?

Get help right away if you have any of these: call us immediately during office hours, or go to an emergency room when the office is closed:

Intense eye pain
A change in vision or blurry vision
Very red, watery eyes
An object stuck in your eye
A serious eye injury, like a hard hit to the eye or a speck that hit it at high speed from hammering or grinding (if the eye is cut or something may have pierced it, go straight to an emergency room)

If you wear contacts and feel any discomfort, take the lenses out and see your doctor. Irritated red eyes, pain that gets worse even after the lens comes out, light sensitivity, sudden blurry vision, or unusually watery eyes or discharge can mean an infection, so call your eye doctor immediately, or go to an emergency room when the office is closed. Our page on contact lens discomfort covers the everyday kind.

We see urgent eye problems the same day during office hours, including eye pain or redness, signs of infection and eye injuries; when we're closed, go to an emergency room. Call 911 for sudden vision loss in one or both eyes, even if it comes back. A milder gritty feeling that keeps coming back deserves a regular visit.

How we find the cause at Cohenmehr Optometry

Our Los Angeles optometrists examine the surface of the eye under the microscope, using fluorescein, a special type of eye drop dye that makes scratches easier to see. The same exam finds and removes any particle still in the eye and checks for a deeper injury; see our page on corneal abrasion care.

When dryness or the eyelids are behind it, our dry eye evaluation adds imaging of the oil glands and tests of tear film stability and the eye's surface. Treatment then follows the cause: lid cleaning, prescription drops, gland treatments such as IPL, or amniotic membranes for a surface that won't heal.

Questions patients ask

Why do I keep rubbing my eyes?

Usually because they itch or feel irritated, and allergic conjunctivitis is one reason eyes itch. For allergic eyes, the American Optometric Association advises against rubbing and suggests cool compresses rather than warm ones; lubricating eye drops can rinse the allergen off the surface of the eye, and antihistamine drops can ease the symptoms. If it feels like something is stuck in your eye, rubbing could scratch your cornea. Our page on eye rubbing and keratoconus explains why we take constant rubbing seriously.

Can an overactive thyroid make your eyes feel gritty?

It can when the overactive thyroid comes from Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid and the body makes too much thyroid hormone. Graves' disease can lead to Graves' eye disease, whose symptoms include dry, gritty, red or irritated eyes and eyelids that pull back or don't close all the way; bulging eyes are the main sign. Artificial tears are the most common treatment for the dryness. If you have Graves' disease, you're at risk, so mention it at your eye exam.

Can the sun burn your eyes?

Yes. Photokeratitis, which the FDA describes as a sunburn of the cornea, comes from intense ultraviolet exposure. It's also called snow blindness, because many people get it at high altitude in snow, where ultraviolet light reflects strongly, and some tanning lamps can cause it too. Symptoms include pain, tearing, swollen eyelids, a feeling of sand in the eye and hazy vision. Call us for a same-day visit, or go to an emergency room when we're closed; drops can help the cornea heal, which usually takes 24 to 48 hours. Sunglasses with 100% UV protection and a wide-brimmed hat lower the risk.

Is dry eye linked to lupus?

Yes. The National Eye Institute lists certain autoimmune conditions, like lupus or Sjögren syndrome, among the risk factors for dry eye, and when another health condition is causing dry eye, treating that condition may improve the eye symptoms. Untreated severe dry eye can sometimes damage the cornea, so a gritty feeling that won't settle deserves an exam. Our page on Sjögren's and autoimmune dry eye explains our approach.

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 →

Feels Like Something in My Eye but Nothing Is There? Common Causes