Why Are My Eyes Stinging Only at Night?

Your eyes may sometimes feel like one of the more mysterious organs in your body. Maybe they feel fine during the day, but as soon as you start your wind-down routine, they start to sting. If you can’t trace this cause back to a one-off event, such as an all-night binge session of your favorite show, we’ll look at why you might feel dry eyes in Pittsburgh, PA only at night.

The Body Is Slowing Down

Your dry eyes are likely reacting to the tear evaporation process that takes place throughout the day. This is a natural occurrence that everyone experiences, though not everyone will have a reaction to it. If your eyes feel dry if you wake in the middle of the night, it’s likely because the blood circulation slows down. The slower the blood, the fewer nutrients your eyes receive.

In rarer cases, you might have a condition that doesn’t allow your eyes to close while you’re asleep. Known as nocturnal lagophthalmos, it could be due to a chronic eyelid injury (e.g., after surgery) or because of a deformity with the eyelid. If you think that your eyelids are not closing properly, this is more serious than occasional stinging and more likely to result in an eye injury (due to the exposure.

Dry Eyes in Greensburg, PA

If you’re looking for relief from dry eye, either during the day or at night, contacting the right eye doctor can help. While eye drops from the drugstore can certainly bring comfort, you may need more than a quick fix. At Lappen Eye Care, our eye doctors in Pittsburgh, PA can help you figure out the source of your dry eye and how you can best combat that stinging sensation from morning to night.