Nasal Pillow CPAP & Dry Eye

I am wondering if part of my dry eye problem is related to the use of my cpap nasal pillow?
I have vision that is blurry especially when I first wake up.later in the day with lots of drops my eyes become somewhat clearer. I am near 70 years old and am approaching the possibility of cataract replacement. I just think the constant air flow is drying out my eye lenses too, adding to the natural aging process as well.
Any observations out there?
Thanks, Greg.

Air leaks can contribute to dry eye, as well as medications and age. (The frog is 70 already)
Cushion masks are the most likely to leak air into the eyes.
My nasal pillows have the best seal, letting very little air blow into my eyes.
How often do you see your eye doctor? Mine has samples of some of the better OTC drops.

I had dry eye prior to CPAP but the first mask I used made it worse. The N10 would leak air into my eyes. I solved that with a Padacheek liner and later moved to nasal pillows with leak solved. Some users have used sleep eye masks to solve the problem.

For a while, I wore swim goggles.
Actually a few months.
Not very romantic . . .

There is a medical condition where the little ducts inside the nasal passageway that go to the inner eye area are too open.
This is totally different from dry eyes from air blowing into the face from a leaky mask of any sort.
Ever see the picture of the guy shooting milk out the corner of the eye??? Gross....

Anyway....if a person is experiencing dry eyes or vision issues then it's probably best to have it checked out by the eye doctor and make sure that there's nothing wrong with those little ducts in the nasal passageway which could be letting air sneak up into the eye area via the back door.
It's not impossible for air to sneak up those little ducts...not common but not impossible either.
Best to see an eye doctor and make sure.

FWIW....I have use cpap and a nasal pillow mask for over 8 years....my eyes aren't experiencing any unusual dryness...even at pressures over 20 cm sometimes.

What Pugsy said is a possibility. I had my lacrimal ducts plugged prior to CPAP to try and conserve my eye moisture so I knew the air was coming from the outside. Best to have an ophthalmologist check it out if it continues.

GregDoering wrote:I am wondering if part of my dry eye problem is related to the use of my cpap nasal pillow?
I have vision that is blurry especially when I first wake up.later in the day with lots of drops my eyes become somewhat clearer. I am near 70 years old and am approaching the possibility of cataract replacement. I just think the constant air flow is drying out my eye lenses too, adding to the natural aging process as well.
Any observations out there?
Thanks, Greg.

Two things you should watch out for - one, the pillows could be leaking into your eyes, and two, the exhaust from the pillows could be bouncing off the bed covers and back into your eyes.

In any case, you need to discuss the problem with your eye doc.

And when you see the eye doc, ask for samples!

Thank You (All!) for the replies. I see a specialist in January 2018. Will post an update
Greg.