You have a bump on your eyelid that is painful, changes shape or color, doesn't go away or keeps coming back. Apply cold, wet tea bags. Wrap the tea bags with paper towels to avoid any staining of the eyelid. Drop in artificial tears. The surface of the eye is covered with a thin film of watery fluid created by tears.
Tears lubricate the eye so that the lid can move over it smoothly and wash away foreign bodies.
When you don't produce enough tears, your eyelids can't blink away irritants. If you wear contact lenses, use preservative-free tears, says Anne Sumers, M.D., an ophthalmologist in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Otherwise, the preservatives can make your eyes itch. If your doctor has prescribed rewetting drops, those can work just as well, says Dr. Sumers. Use a tear ointment at bedtime.