Sore eyes - age thing?

[meringue33]

Eyelashes keep coming out, sore, dry, prickly eyes all the time - anyone else have this? I’m 42. Any tips for improving the situation greatly appreciated.

Have you seen an optician about it? They can examine your eyes to help find the cause, there are several different causes for dry eye. You may have blepharitis, as optician could diagnose and advise you on it.

Hi op.

Similar age here and similar eye issues that come and go.

Do you wear any make up?

Over the last couple of years my eyes have got really sensitive to different powders eyeshadows eye liners etc etc

I'm really selective in what I use now and I still have problems but not as bad as before

Are you using the same mascara and did make up regularly? Is it new or older than a few weeks? I'd chuck it out and replace it - after not wearing any for most of a year, mine gave me sore eyes - probably full of bugs.

I've been having really really dry eyes recently and am 43. It's like they've stopped producing any lubrication. I use hycosan eye drops.

Dry eyes are also one of the many delightful symptoms of peri-menopause. So it can be age-related in that sense.

Thanks, I wasn’t sure whether to try optician or GP first. My mum has blepharitis but this isn’t anything visible.

No makeup. Oh the joys of getting old! I’ll try those eye drops thanks and make an appointment…

Mild blepharitis wouldn’t be visible to you, only to an optician using their equipment. There are also other causes of dry eye, which they could help identify.

Look at symptoms of menopause/perimenopause and eye issues are a big one. It's to do with low levels of estrogen which lubricates, when this decreases eyes get dry and itchy. The joys of aging. There are a few solutions. Talk to your pharmacist

I have severe dry eye and chronic bilateral posterior blepharitis or something like that, diagnosed by a consultant. In essence the blepharitis flares up really nastily at times, making my eyes itchy and hot and the lids prickly and damp, but I don't get dreadful redness or crusting. I do, however, have more than one line of eyelashes apparently, which was remarked on. I just thought they were normal as I've never been that observant of my own, or anyone else's.

I've always been pretty fastidious about eye hygiene, removing makeup etc. and hate it when it does flare up. I use very watered down baby shampoo for lid cleansing and a heated eye mask every morning, I also have drops throughout the day and overnight gel and do eye exercises during scheduled breaks from screen time when working.

Dry eyes are also one of the many delightful symptoms of peri-menopause. So it can be age-related in that sense

Me too. I've had to get intensive eye drops from Specsavers rather than just basic optrex ones

I started getting dry eye quite randomly for a few weeks at a time, eye drops did nothing to help. I then started getting a red rash all over my face including eyelids quite far down to the lash line. After over a year of being tortured by this I finally pinned it down to rosacea. I treated it with Soolantra cream (prescription) every day for about 5 months and have had neither rash nor dry eye since. I also wash my hair face and eyes with tea tree shampoo every day. Just a possible explanation if you also start to get a skin rash

I've had dry and slightly sore/itchy eyes for several years now; an optician said it was blepharitis, but I couldn't be bothered to do all the stuff you're meant to, it didn't seem to help anyway. Have tried lots of different eye drops, all useless. I just live with it now (and having spent the last two years having treatment for cancer, the eye problem feels very minor! But it used to drive me nuts).