Wow, my eyes

[BlackSpinner]

In general CPAP pressure is too low to blow out the nasocrimal duct in opposite direction. Also, its is even more unlikely that it blew out BOTH ducts (since both your eyes are red in the morning).
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You are wrong. Completely wrong. It has been seen on this site. You can find it documented on the net under ophthalmology. It is rare but not that rare.

BlackSpinner: I said "in general". And as you yourself said, "it is rare". We don't know what pressures the OP is running with. I just wanted to state that other "common" reasons should be considered and eliminated before a "rare" reason is considered to be the one.

Thanks.

Doctor already diagnosed the problem.

[AMK]

Here is my data from last night. Is this a large leak at about 1:35AM? I don't recall being awakened at that time. I took the mask off around 6:30AM because I was wide awake and sick of it but I didn't yet realize that my eyes were bright red. I had no idea till I saw myself in the mirror and was shocked...I thought I just had the usual morning eye puffiness and irritation. And btw the doctor I saw was an opthamologist, one of the top ones in the city. But he knows nothing about cpap. Thanks to all who are contributing to this thread.

[AMK]

Guest1: I got ointment that the doctor said to get at the drug store, but it's just the mineral oil type stuff, not anti-inflammatory. He didn't offer anything like that. I do have antihistamine drops. I have been looking at various kinds of goggles. The good ones aren't cheap but then in cpap world, what is cheap?

Archangle: If I gently blow as you suggest, I don't feel leakage into my eyes. The doctor did say to me, "You have large puncta!" (just what every girl dreams of hearing).

I think an oral mask would do me in. I had turbinectomy surgery because I so hated breathing out of my mouth.

You've all given me ideas and I think goggles would be a good way to figure out how the air is getting to my eyes. If I could find good goggles that I could sleep in, then minor mask leaks wouldn't be such a big deal.

[saltydawg2]

I know this is an also run, but your pressure is going up, and staying on the ceiling, for whatever period of time you had it on.

[Guest1]

Guest1: I got ointment that the doctor said to get at the drug store, but it's just the mineral oil type stuff, not anti-inflammatory. He didn't offer anything like that. I do have antihistamine drops. I have been looking at various kinds of goggles. The good ones aren't cheap but then in cpap world, what is cheap?

Archangle: If I gently blow as you suggest, I don't feel leakage into my eyes. The doctor did say to me, "You have large puncta!" (just what every girl dreams of hearing).

I think an oral mask would do me in. I had turbinectomy surgery because I so hated breathing out of my mouth.

You've all given me ideas and I think goggles would be a good way to figure out how the air is getting to my eyes. If I could find good goggles that I could sleep in, then minor mask leaks wouldn't be such a big deal.

Search for "Travel Sleep Masks" and not "CPAP sleep masks". They will be much cheaper. I can see some on Amazon for less than $2 with free shipping.

The mineral oil ointment will help in bringing the inflammation down.

[AMK]

Guest1, I have some travel sleep masks, and I dislike the ones that rest against my eyelids. I have been on a long-time quest for the perfect sleep (eye) mask. I'll keep looking.

Saltydawg2, yeah, I had changed my pressure from the previous setting of 5-9 to 7-9 and it sure did stay near the ceiling. My titration study showed I needed a pressure of 8 so I dunno what's up with this.

[Pugsy]

Is this a large leak at about 1:35AM?

Yes, it exceeded 24 L/min for a brief time but it didn't go very far above 24 L/min as it didn't quite reach 27 L/min.
So yes you get a large leak flag but it's not a very big flag..looks like maybe 5 minutes actually above 24 L/min and barely over it anyway. This is one of those that "if it doesn't wake me up I don't care about this little leak".

[jwerley]

I love these....they cup over your eyes and are very comfortable. Your eye lids do ot touch them. Check out all the different kinds for your specific needs.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Janice

http://www.eyeeco.com/product/iproduct_ ... hiled.html

[archangle]

Here is my data from last night.

You're leaking all night long. On ResMed machines, they subtract out the "intentional" leak that goes out the mask vent. Anything above zero is theoretically around the mask or out of your mouth.

[AMK]

Janice, thanks.

Archangle, so if I had a good mask, the leak line would just stay at zero all night? Does anyone actually achieve that?

[Pugsy]

so if I had a good mask, the leak line would just stay at zero all night? Does anyone actually achieve that?

A few people do achieve a nice flat line all night but it isn't common (I have done it on a very rare occasion) but it may be an unrealistic goal to expect it all the time.

I am good as long as the leaks stay within what the machine says it can handle (and assuming they don't wake me up)...so if it isn't quite "perfect" I don't really care how flat that leak line is.

Actually I am also good with an occasional short lived excursion above 24 L/min (that's where ResMed marks the beginning for large leak territory...Respironics has a much different number).

It's up to you what you wish to define as acceptable for you personally if you want a more flat leak line for reassurance.
Me...as long as I sleep through minor leaks (big or little) and any time in large leak is short lived....I am not going to go to any heroic measures to flatten the leak line because sometimes those heroic measures will mess with my sleep much worse than 10 minutes of large leak will. Yeah, I could wear a chin strap or tape and probably avoid a 10 minute maybe mouth opening leak (assuming that was what caused a big leak) but I have been down that road and while it wasn't a horrible road, the chin strap and /or tape did impact my overall sleep quality. I sleep better overall without them.
Now if half the night was spent in large leak then I would of course do something about it but 10 minutes out of 7 to 8 hours isn't the end of the world.

[AMK]

Pugsy, ok, I see what you are saying. Every morning I wake up with irritated, painful eyes, but it was the night before last when I had the one large leak that had me waking up with bloodshot, scary-inflamed eyes. Last night I only wore the mask for 4.5 hours for compliance then took it off out of fear for my eyes. It's "only" taking my DME two weeks and counting to "order in" a new mask for me because they keep their inventory so low.

[Jay Aitchsee]

As Pugsy says, the machines will compensate for leaks - up to a certain point. However, leaks, in and of themselves, could be disturbing. Additionally, since you are wearing a pillow type mask, one has to ask where the leaks are occurring. Could it be from your eyes? I wouldn't think so. Most probably, as Arch mentioned, it is from your throat out of your mouth which would reduce the effectiveness of therapy. I think it would be prudent to work at discovering the source and reducing the leaks further, but of course, the first thing that must be done is to determine the cause of the eye irrataion.
You mentioned the machine staying at the maximum pressure in a previous post. That could be a function of Flow Limitations and possibly Snores. You might want to look at your snore graph and see if it correlates with pressure increases. I've noticed in my own therapy that sometimes snores are scored during periods of leaks and your pressure line does seem to correlate with your leak line. I think, sometimes, the machines interpret leaks as snores.

[AMK]

Actually I either don't snore at all or have a very short period of mild snoring at the start of sleep. That little bit of snoring does raise the pressure.
Note I am not wearing a pillow, I am wearing the N10 for her. It's really easy for it to blow into my eyes.
Last night I only wore the mask for the minimum 4 hours needed for compliance. There was no initial snoring and my pressure stayed low. Strange that a tiny bit of snoring on other days makes the pressure soar and stay up.
I have ordered the goggles Janice recommended because I just don't know what to do about masks right now and the goggles will work right away (hopefully).

[Jay Aitchsee]

Actually I either don't snore at all or have a very short period of mild snoring at the start of sleep. That little bit of snoring does raise the pressure.
Note I am not wearing a pillow, I am wearing the N10 for her. It's really easy for it to blow into my eyes.
Last night I only wore the mask for the minimum 4 hours needed for compliance. There was no initial snoring and my pressure stayed low. Strange that a tiny bit of snoring on other days makes the pressure soar and stay up.
I have ordered the goggles Janice recommended because I just don't know what to do about masks right now and the goggles will work right away (hopefully).

Sorry, I misread P10 as your mask - must have been looking at one of the other posters.
Re: snores and subsequent rise in pressure, good if you need it, not so if you don't. One of the reasons Den (wulfman...)advocates for trying cpap.
Yes, here's hoping goggles do the trick.