The difficulty in opening your eye might be a separate problem to your dry eyes.

As far as dry eyes are concerned, if you aren't already, we'd recommend using the latest type of dry eye drops which are a huge improvement on the traditional watery type of drop and they can help condition the cornea. You would also do no harm using a thicker, gel-like drop before you got bed to help keep the cornea as moist as possible while you sleep.

The problem with your eyelid is possibly due to a weakness in the muscle that elevates the lid. The cause may be difficult to determine but it may be due to a growth in the eyelid, such as a stye, a medical problem, a nerve injury or part of the normal ageing process. Although it's a nuisance, it's not usually a serious problem and should be sorted by your optician.