Feels Like Something in My Eye

Why Does It Feel Like There’s Something in My Eye?

Like most of us, you’ve probably had the feeling that there’s something in your eye. You look in the mirror, but you don’t see anything. The feeling doesn’t go away after flushing the eye with saline or artificial tears. You might also have symptoms like light sensitivity, redness, and itching with that foreign body sensation. So what’s going on?

Problems in parts of the eye including the cornea, conjunctiva, or lid margins can result in the feeling that something is in the eye. As many conditions have the same symptoms, if the feeling of something in your eye is ongoing, an eye exam is the best way to get the right diagnosis and treatment plan.

Let’s take a closer look at the different causes and complications related to feeling like there’s something in your eye.

Key Points

• Many ocular conditions and injuries can cause the feeling that there is something in the eye.
• Keratitis, blepharitis, and dry eye disease are common diagnoses that present with a foreign body sensation.
• Treatment depends on the condition and may include artificial tears, cool or warm compresses, steroid drops, or an antibiotic.

When It Feels Like Something is in Your Eye

Most often, the feeling that something is in the eye is a symptom of a corneal condition. Dry eye disease, keratitis, and blepharitis can all cause a foreign body or gritty sensation, blurred vision, and redness of the eye and lid margins. Without treatment, these conditions could get worse.

If you feel like there’s something in your eye, you should see an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist). Your eye doctor may use a large microscope, called a slit lamp, to view the front segment of the eye. They will search for a foreign body, which could be an eyelash touching the cornea or a bit of makeup lodged underneath the upper lid.

Common Causes of a Foreign Body Sensation

Many eye conditions and eye injuries that affect the surface of your eye can result in a foreign object sensation. Your eye doctor may ask you about your symptoms and look at the surface of the eye to determine the cause of that irritating feeling.

Blepharitis

Blepharitis is chronic inflammation of the eyelid margin that may affect any age group. It’s associated with several systemic conditions including rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis, and is related to other ocular conditions. These include dry eye disease, chalazion, conjunctivitis, and keratitis. Common symptoms of blepharitis are:

• Burning sensation
• Irritation
• Tearing
• Light sensitivity
• Blurred vision
• Red eyes
• Crusting or flaking on the eyelids

There are many causes for blepharitis including meibomian gland dysfunction, chronic low-grade bacteria infections of the ocular surface, parasitic infestations like demodex, and inflammatory skin conditions such as atopy and seborrhea. 

Treatments for blepharitis include warm compresses, eyelid wipes (hygiene), and over-the-counter lubricating tears.¹

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Dry eye disease

Dry eye disease is a chronic condition of the corneal surface that can lead to damage to the cornea and the conjunctiva if left untreated. The disease affects 1 in 5 Americans. There are two main subtypes of dry eye disease – aqueous deficiency and evaporative – and you can have both types at once.

Aqueous deficiency occurs because of reduced aqueous production from the lacrimal glands but only accounts for a tenth of all dry eye disease. In contrast, evaporative dry eye is due to a deficient tear film lipid layer, which increases tear evaporation. It is caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, and occurs in over 85% of dry eye disease.²

Symptoms of dry eye disease include:

• Dryness
• Watery eyes
• Excessive tearing
• Eye redness
• Blurred vision

Common risk factors for dry eye include age, being female, low-humidity environments, certain medications, and autoimmune diseases. Lastly, wearing contact lenses is also a risk factor for dry eye.³

Most importantly, dry eye disease is a chronic condition requiring long-term management. Treatment usually consists of eyelid hygiene, lifestyle modifications, humidification, tear replacement, improved nutrition, and anti-inflammatory ocular agents.

Check out CorneaCare’s eyelid hygiene products that are clean, convenient and effective against dry eye disease. For tear replacement, check out CorneaCare’s Recover Preservative-Free Artificial Tears.  

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Pinguecula

A pinguecula is a benign degeneration of the conjunctiva. It looks like a yellow-white mass on the white of your eye. It’s most common in people exposed to wind, dust, UV light, and work outdoors for long periods of time. Almost all individuals in their eighties show signs of a pinguecula. Contact lens wear is an additional risk factor for the development of a pinguecula. Common symptoms are foreign body sensation and itching, but most complaints are cosmetic.⁴

A pinguecula can progress into a pterygium. A pterygium is a degenerative condition characterized by fibrovascular outgrowth of the conjunctiva over the cornea. Studies demonstrate UV light is the most important trigger. In the beginning, a pterygium is usually asymptomatic, however, dry eye symptoms may be present, such as burning, itching, and/or tearing. Vision worsens and surgical treatment is required as the lesion grows towards the optical zone (pupil). Following surgery, a pterygium may grow again.⁵

Keratitis

Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea and is characterized by corneal edema (swelling), inflammatory cells, and ciliary congestion (redness). The cause can be both infectious and non-infectious. Keratitis can lead to a corneal ulcer. The most common complaints are redness, pain, irritation, and feeling something is in the eye. Patients may be light sensitive and have reduced vision. Treatment options may include an antibacterial and/or steroid eye drops.⁶

Corneal ulcer

A corneal ulcer is a white spot that appears on the cornea and causes extreme eye pain. It is most often due to sleeping in contact lenses overnight. An antibiotic and/or steroid can improve the symptoms. Furthermore, if you wear contact lenses, you should wear your glasses until the eye has healed.

Conjunctivitis

Pink eye, also called conjunctivitis, is the most common reason for a red eye in eye care. Conjunctivitis is inflammation or infection of the outer part of the eyeball and the inner eyelid, called the conjunctiva. The three most common types of conjunctivitis are viral, allergic, and bacterial.⁷ CorneaCare artificial tears and cold compresses may improve the look and feel of eyes with conjunctivitis.

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Corneal abrasion

An abrasion to the cornea can be painful, but usually heals within 1-3 days. As it’s healing, it may result in eye irritation or feel like a foreign object is still present in the eye. Corneal abrasions are often caused by a linear object such as a fingernail or tree branch.

Typically, abrasions heal on their own, but should be covered with an antibiotic to prevent infection. Ibuprofen, NSAIDs or cycloplegia drops may be recommended to reduce the pain. However, a bandage lens may be used for pain management in an injury that covers 50% of the cornea and should be followed every day by an eye care professional until it resolves.⁸

Stye

A stye or chalazion is the most common inflammatory condition of the upper eyelid or lower eyelid. They are slowly enlarging, non-tender nodules caused by the inflammation and obstruction of the sebaceous zeis or meibomian glands of the eyelids. If large enough, the stye can rub against the cornea causing the feeling of something in the eye when blinking.

Warm compresses are applied to the affected lid for 15 minutes 2 to 4 times per day, followed by a lid massage and eyelid wipes. Overall, most styes resolve within one month.⁹

When Something is in Your Eye

Naturally, the main cause of feeling like there’s something in your eye is having something in your eye! The following titles are full of tips that may help if they fit your situation.

• What To Do if You or Kids Get Sand in the Eye 
• How to Tell if a Contact Lens is Still in Your Eye
• Sharp Stabbing Pain in the Eye that Comes and Goes
• Dealing with Poison Ivy in the Eye: Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention

If you have a foreign body sensation causing pain or irritation, seek prompt medical attnention.

Putting It All Together

Many corneal conditions can cause the sensation there is something in the eye even if there is not anything present in the eye. The cornea has many nerve types and is highly sensitive to any minor eye injuries or corneal conditions. In conclusion, many eye conditions can cause a foreign body sensation. An ocular condition will heal with proper treatment and resolve the feeling that something is in the eye. 

What’s Next

Learn to love your eyes! Read more eye health and wellness tips on our blog.