Scratchy eyes: Debris or Dryness?

I did some longer commutes yesterday just wearing my prescription eyeglasses. Towards the evening my eyes were feeling irritated, at first I just thought maybe I had some debris in them (or, crusted sweat on my eyelashes) but it persisted even after showering and gently rinsing my eyes.

Today they feel scratchy as hell, every blink is noticeable. I've been putting saline drops in every hour or so and they help for a little while. FWIW, my eyes aren't pink and they don't look irritated. But the scratchy-scratch!

So my question is... Is there still stuff stuck in my eyes? Or is this just extreme dryness?

I'm definitely off to shop for full-coverage clear and tinted glasses very soon. I'm somewhat surprised that I've never had this problem before, but I had a series of very long downhills yesterday and my new Orbea rolls downhill quite a bit faster than other bikes I've ridden.

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? I wonder if you were exposed to something you are allergic to on yesterday's ride? You might try OTC eye drops designed specifically for allergies and see if they provide you with some relief.

Hope this helps,
Marcie

Do you have a stye ( not sure if that is the right spelling). I guess i should ask if it is in bot eye's ten suggest it might be a stye.
Did you look at the inside of your eyelids? I suffer from styes and it feels just like you are discribing. No redness or anything like tat just sratchy. If that is it hot compresses are all you can do but help a lot! My Dr has delt with these with me.

Brandi, I'm pretty sure it's not a stye, I've had those before. I can't see any sign of redness or inflammation anywhere. My mom pointed out that dryness can happen if you get a blocked duct, and the solution is the same that you suggested - to do a hot compress. So I'll definitely try that tonight.

makbike, I don't suffer from plant/pollen allergies. However, I did ride through a lot of pollen areas yesterday and things are blooming with a vengeance here in Portland. I wonder if there is simply mechanical irritation. I know that pollen grains often have tiny barbs on them to latch on to substrates, and can be quite irritating even if one doesn't have a true allergic reaction to them.

You can develope allergies so maybe keep that in mind. My mother in law didn't have any till she was in her 40's. But she lives in the city too so I tink that is a factor.