Is Your Face Mask Causing Eye Problems?

Could your face mask be the cause of your eye problems?

Face masks have become a part of daily life over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. And while they help keep you healthier overall, eye doctors are seeing some issues. They have reported an uptick in cases of dry eye, styes and other eye problems that may be related to wearing face masks. 

In fact, MADE (mask-associated dry eye) was coined as the condition has become a frequent complaint among eye care patients. 

Fortunately, these eye issues are easily treatable. Not to mention, you can reduce your risk of mask-related eye issues by wearing your mask properly and following advice from your eye doctor.

Dry eyes and face masks

Dry eyes are a common eye problem that may be caused or worsened by a variety of factors. These include age, environmental factors, medications and face masks.

You may deal with dry eyes or dry eye disease (DED) due to not having enough tears or having issues with the quality of your tear film. This film consists of water, oils and mucus. And each of these components plays an important role in keeping your eyes moist.

How do masks cause dry eyes? Eye doctors believe that air leaking upward toward the eyes from the top of the mask causes the tear film to evaporate more quickly. This may result in dry, inflamed and irritated eyes.

Mask wear may cause dry eyes or exacerbate an existing case of DED. Symptoms of dry eyes may include blurry vision, burning eyes, mucus, redness and sensitivity to light.

Factors that may put patients at higher risk for dry eye from face masks may include:

• Contact lens use

• Older age

• Immunocompromised status

• Extended mask wear

Health care providers and others who wear masks constantly for many hours at a time may be at a higher risk of mask-associated dry eye.

Treatments for dry eye include warm compresses, over-the-counter artificial tears or prescription eye drops to increase tear production. In some cases, an eye doctor may recommend a procedure to block or plug the tear ducts to keep your eyes moist.