Nancy from Pullman asks is it strange to wake with dry eyes that then get better as the day goes on?

Nancy, tears are made up of three components, a mucus layer on the bottom, the watery layer in the middle and then an oily layer on the top. The mucus holds the watery layer onto the cornea and the oily layer keeps the water from evaporating too quickly. Those layers change as the day goes on. If the eyes are more dry in the morning than the evening probably implies the oily layer is overabundant, due to clogged oil glands draining themselves when you first open your eyes, upsetting the tear balance, leading to uncomfortable, dry eyes. Dry eyes that are always the same or that get worse imply something else. Talk with your eye care professional about how and when your eyes are uncomfortable. He’ll be able to more easily come up with an effective treatment that way. Thanks for the question.