Dry eyes: spiritual meaning and emotional causes
What dry eyes are
Every blink spreads a thin film of tears over the surface of the eye. Dry eyes happen when the eyes do not make enough tears, or when the tears evaporate too fast, often because the small oil glands along the eyelids are blocked. The eyes then feel gritty, burning, itchy or sore, look red, and may blur for a moment until you blink. Oddly, dry eyes can also water a lot, because the irritated eye releases thin reflex tears that do not protect it.
Dry eyes are very common, and more so with age and after the menopause. Long hours at a screen, which reduce blinking, air conditioning, central heating, wind and smoke all make them worse. Contact lenses, inflamed eyelids (blepharitis), laser eye surgery and some medicines can play a part. So can other conditions, such as Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and thyroid eye disease.
Most people are helped by lubricating eye drops, gels or ointments from a pharmacy, warm compresses and gentle cleaning of the eyelids, regular screen breaks, and a less dry room. An optician or GP can look for a cause and offer prescription drops or other treatments when simple care is not enough.
The emotional meaning of dry eyes
Spiritually, the eyes are the mirror of the soul. They let you see the world, and through them you show what you feel. The eyes and ears page describes their wider meaning. Tears are part of that showing, and dry eyes are read through what you do with them.
Tears you keep back
Dry eyes are linked to a situation in which you stop yourself from crying in front of people. The tears are there, but you do not let them be seen. It is as if the eyes stiffened and set, so that nothing could run, not even the moisture they need.
Dignity, and a straight face
The spiritual interpretation places dry eyes in a situation where you are losing, or feel you have lost, your dignity, and where you want to stay impassive. You keep a straight face because showing what you feel would make the loss of face worse. Ask what the composure is protecting, and what it costs you to hold it.
Red, stinging, tired eyes
Dry eyes are often red and stinging. Spiritually, red eyes speak of an inner tiredness from fighting your own emotions and pushing them down. Eyes that sting or prickle are linked to being irritated by what you see and what you live. The question is which feelings you are tired of fighting, and what is getting on your nerves.
Left side or right side?
Dry eyes usually affect both eyes, yet one may feel worse. Spiritually, each eye carries a different way of seeing, as with the other left and right sides of the body. Everyone carries both principles, whatever their sex.
Dry left eye
The left eye is the inner, emotional and intuitive eye, linked to the feminine principle and to the bond with the mother. It is also your lookout, watching for danger. A drier left eye may ask how attached you are to someone or something, and whether you lean on others to feel safe. The emotions you keep from showing are the very ones that want to come out. Ask in which close relationship you hold back your tears.
Dry right eye
The right eye looks rationally at the outside world. It is the eye of recognition, linked to the masculine principle, to your identity and to the bond with the father. A drier right eye may ask where you keep a composed face at work, or in front of an authority, so as not to lose standing. Spiritually, it invites you to stand on your own ground and become your own pillar, so that your dignity no longer depends on looking unmoved.
A gentler way to hold it
The invitation is to welcome the beauty around you and to give yourself time to look.
- Find one safe place for tears. Alone, with a friend, or in writing. They do not need an audience to count.
- Name the wound to your dignity. Say to yourself what happened, plainly, without the straight face.
- Stop fighting one feeling. Let it be there for a few minutes, and notice what it needs.
- Notice the irritation. Write down what you see each day that grates on you.
- Rest your eyes, and fill them. Look away from the screen at something you find beautiful, and stay with it a little longer than usual.
Questions to ask yourself
Take your time with these. There are no right answers; simply notice what comes up.
- Where do I stop myself from crying in front of others?
- In which situation do I feel I am losing, or have lost, my dignity?
- Who am I trying to look unmoved in front of, and what do I fear they would see?
- Which feelings am I tired of fighting inside myself?
- What irritates me in what I see and live at the moment?
- When did I last take time simply to look at something beautiful?
“I let my feelings move, tears included. I take time to look at the beauty around me and within me.”
Your free dry eyes journal
Take this page off the screen. Four printable pages to explore what your body may be saying, at your own pace.
- The 6 questions above, with space to write
- A 7-day log to notice when it flares up, and what came just before
- Your affirmation with a 21-day tracker
Go further, gently
If this reading resonates with you, THE BODY DECODER gathers this page and every other symptom and feeling into one book you can keep, with a 30-day programme to work with them.
Our products are designed for relaxation and self-reflection. They are not a medical treatment and do not replace the care you receive.
When to see a doctor
- A very painful or very red eye, sensitivity to light, or a change in your vision. Get help the same day from an urgent eye service, NHS 111 or A&E.
- You wear contact lenses and your eye becomes painful and red. Take the lenses out and get seen urgently, as an infection of the cornea can damage sight.
- Dryness that has not improved after a few weeks of eye drops and simple care. A pharmacist, optician or GP can look for the cause.
- A dry mouth as well, joint pain, or eyes that look more prominent or bulging. Dry eyes can be part of another condition, such as Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or thyroid eye disease.
- Eyelids that do not close fully, or eyes that dry out at night.
- Dryness that began with a new medicine. Do not stop it on your own; talk to the prescriber.
Related conditions
Sources and inspiration
Medical information
Emotional and spiritual interpretation
- Jacques Martel, Le Grand Dictionnaire des Malaises et des Maladies , pp. 430–431.
- Jacques Martel, Le Grand Dictionnaire des Malaises et des Maladies , pp. 430.
- Jacques Martel, Le Grand Dictionnaire des Malaises et des Maladies , pp. 270–271.
- Jacques Martel, Le Grand Dictionnaire des Malaises et des Maladies , pp. 182–183.
This page is an original interpretation written by the Body Hemi-Sync editorial team. It is inspired by these sources and does not reproduce them. How we write and check our pages.