No self-blame! Just don't do it. I've always ridden with eye protection. I've had dry eyes for years. Now that I'm not a kid anymore, I no longer have my coveted 20-20 vision. So I have an optometrist and dry eyes. He said it's age and recommended Refresh Optive, a temporary fix, which is very cheap and does not contain preservatives.
More about Dry Eyes:
https://www.consumerreports.org/visi...how-to-handle/.