URGENT: severe eye pain

Hello friends,

I have a critical problem which has gotten to a real scary point. I have used the CPAP machine for the last 5 or so years. I don't need a high pressure; it is very low around 7. In 2008 I started having eye pain. I was not sure what it was, so I naturally went to eye doctors. I have seen ophthalmologists, retinal specialists, corneal specialists to name a few. The latest thing I have tried is punctal plugs (plugs tear duct) in the hopes that the extra moisture would help the problem. But it does not seem to be that type of problem.

Over the last couple of years the problem has gotten progressively worse. A steady increase of intensity of pain (now it is so severe I can almost not drive or do anything), duration of pain (now it is on 24/7), floaters. I have so much floaters now, all over my eye. It will be hard for you to believe but there are hundreds. I can also see the physical damage being done to my eye. I am at a point where I don't know how much longer I can take this until something gives and there will be no going back. I don't know if I will be able to work tomorrow. I just don't know.

I do know that it is the CPAP machine that has caused this. I have tried various masks to minimize leakage. I have also tried various machines and right now I have an nice expensive machine that adjusts the levels of pressure appropriately. I like this machine alot since the breathing is comfortable. I wish I could use it without these symptoms.

I have had to make a choice: use the CPAP machine and rest well and feel good the next day but continue damaging my eyes OR don't use the CPAP machine and feel tired and cloudy the next day but prevent further damage to my eyes. So far I have beared the increasing eye pain because I know how bad I feel without good rest. Sometimes I think it was the wrong decision. Alot of the damage may be permanent.

Right now I don't know what to do. I've tried so many things and nothing has worked. I need to continue using CPAP so I can enjoy the benefits of this treatment but how can I? If you guys have any ideas, things for me to try, anything at all, let me know.

Have the doctors said a leaking mask is the problem? If so, or if you think it may be that, have you tried covering your eyes?

If I had a similar problem, I believe I would have a talk with my primary care provider, tell him just what you said in this post, and ask his help in finding the best medical people to find answers for you.

I'm sure others will have suggestions, too.

Good luck.

Irene

Liquid, please go to the top left of the screen at the User Control Panel and enter your machine and mask information (words, not pictures) so we know what you are using. It may help give someone a clue as to what is going on.

How do you know your eye pain is caused by the CPAP?

Is it leaking into the eyes from the outside, or up the nasal passages and into the tear ducts?

If it's leaking into the eyes from the mask on the outside, perhaps swim goggles would help. You can seal those around your eyes, just like a mask--not that there is some pressure/suction from the seal.

Does this happen even with a nasal pillow mask? My Swift LT does leak just enough for the airflow to travel up my nose and into my eye. But with the FX, I don't have this problem because the pillow cradle wraps around my face. Perhaps combining a nasal mask and swim goggles would do the trick.

If it's an internal leak you need to work with an ophthalmologist on solutions.

You state that you "know the CPAP is causing" the Eye Pain.

How. How do you know that? Has your doctor said that it is the cause?
You were on it for multiple years before the eye pain issue developed.
Why do you assume that CPAP therapy is causing the problems with eye pain?

Long time cpap user (12 years) and long time eye pain suffer (16 years). I tore my cornea in an car wreck in '94 and started cpap in '98. I have had the eye pain you are talking about on and off for years. In my case it is called reoccurring cornea abrasion. I use Muro 128 5% eye drops (4 to 6 times per day) and the same ointment in my bad eye at night. I also put in a small blob of Genteal for severe dry eyes in each eye EVERY night. Then I wear Tranquileyes foam eye mask. Got to dry eye store and look it up.

The only time I had trouble now is if I get a really good seal (and therefore low leak rate) then a little air will get in my eyes and I can't see as good the next day. From my experience, you do NOT have to quit cpap, just do some extra things at night to help your eyes.

good luck

JeffH

Jeff - you don't know that your pain is the same kind that Liquid has, and I think if he had corneal abrasions one of the doctors would have picked up on it by now. LIQUID - floaters do go away in time (weeks, usually) but if yours don't, and you have the problems you say, you absolutely need to go to a new ophthalmologist, not an optometrist, not an oculist, not an optician. You need a specialist who will test you for various things and explain them to you.

Have you tried nasal pillows or a true full face mask that covers the entire face--and not just the typical "full face" mask like the Quattro etc, that covers only the nasal and mouth regions? If so and no change then it sounds like a visit to a good EENT would be in order. Sinus infections (sometimes these can be chronic and low grade and easily missed) and possible pressure effects can effect the eye.

It seems that more history as to what you have tried in terms of CPAP masks and machines would definitely be in order.

Irene P. wrote:Have the doctors said a leaking mask is the problem? If so, or if you think it may be that, have you tried covering your eyes?

If I had a similar problem, I believe I would have a talk with my primary care provider, tell him just what you said in this post, and ask his help in finding the best medical people to find answers for you.

I'm sure others will have suggestions, too.

Good luck.

Irene

Hi Irene, thanks for the reply.

Sleep apnea folk thought it leaking might be the problem. With their help we tried a bunch of masks and minimized the leaking by getting one that fit the best. I have tried covering my eyes. I have even bought the Quartz http://store.nexternal.com/tdec/quartz-p346.aspx I am thinking of trying a swimming goggles but I gotta find one that will fit with my mask.

My family doc knows about this issue. She has put me on to eye doctors and we also did CT scans and MRI's to see if anything like a tumor could be causing the problem. Both came back negative.

Tired Linda wrote:Liquid, please go to the top left of the screen at the User Control Panel and enter your machine and mask information (words, not pictures) so we know what you are using. It may help give someone a clue as to what is going on.

How do you know your eye pain is caused by the CPAP?

Thanks, I will update my machine stuff soon.

I always thought it was the CPAP. But alot of the medical professionals I went to sort of dismissed that possibility. I have tried everything they suggested and nothing has worked. I know it is the CPAP because I can feel it get worse as I use the CPAP machine. For a period of a few months a while back, I stopped using the CPAP and the eye pain stopped getting worse. But my body feeling dead made me go on it again.

1 of 2 of the medical professionals I've seen talked about everything in my head being connected. They talked about the possibility of air going through my sinuses and coming out through my tear ducts. I think they may be right in that the air is going somewhere that it should not go and pushing up behind my eye. Also, the connections to my retina are thinning. They said retinal detachment is possible and that I should keep on doing regular checkups. I think I would have had thinning at my retina anyway but that the CPAP is somehow speeding things up. I have seen others dismiss this possibility but I have the experience to, atleast, say that it may be possible.

Janknitz wrote:Is it leaking into the eyes from the outside, or up the nasal passages and into the tear ducts?

If it's leaking into the eyes from the mask on the outside, perhaps swim goggles would help. You can seal those around your eyes, just like a mask--not that there is some pressure/suction from the seal.

Does this happen even with a nasal pillow mask? My Swift LT does leak just enough for the airflow to travel up my nose and into my eye. But with the FX, I don't have this problem because the pillow cradle wraps around my face. Perhaps combining a nasal mask and swim goggles would do the trick.

If it's an internal leak you need to work with an ophthalmologist on solutions.

Thanks for your suggestion on the swim goggles! I have tried nasal pillows, and I liked them because they did not touch my face much. However, the eye prob was still there. I think I will try the swim goggles, thanks.

P.S. ophthalmologists solutions were mainly regular lubricating drops, eye gels, punctal plugs. I have tried them all. Those doctors don't really have anything more to say, so I don't think they can help me

Skeptic wrote:You state that you "know the CPAP is causing" the Eye Pain.

How. How do you know that? Has your doctor said that it is the cause?
You were on it for multiple years before the eye pain issue developed.
Why do you assume that CPAP therapy is causing the problems with eye pain?

You're right, I cannot know for sure that CPAP is the primary cause. There may be other factors. But given my experience with attacking this problem, and my researching and talking with doctors, I am confident that it is.

See my other comments too.

JeffH wrote:Long time cpap user (12 years) and long time eye pain suffer (16 years). I tore my cornea in an car wreck in '94 and started cpap in '98. I have had the eye pain you are talking about on and off for years. In my case it is called reoccurring cornea abrasion. I use Muro 128 5% eye drops (4 to 6 times per day) and the same ointment in my bad eye at night. I also put in a small blob of Genteal for severe dry eyes in each eye EVERY night. Then I wear Tranquileyes foam eye mask. Got to dry eye store and look it up.

The only time I had trouble now is if I get a really good seal (and therefore low leak rate) then a little air will get in my eyes and I can't see as good the next day. From my experience, you do NOT have to quit cpap, just do some extra things at night to help your eyes.

good luck

JeffH

Hi JeffH, sorry to hear about your situation. Seems like you figured out a good way to handle it though. Thanks for your suggestion on the Tranquileyes. I have tried what seems to be a lighter version of that, from the same company: QUARTZ (http://store.nexternal.com/tdec/quartz-p346.aspx). I didn't get the foam one because I didn't think it would fit with my mask. I think I might try the foam one if the swim goggles that I'm going to try next doesn't work.

By any chance, did you also try the QUARTZ?

Julie wrote:Jeff - you don't know that your pain is the same kind that Liquid has, and I think if he had corneal abrasions one of the doctors would have picked up on it by now. LIQUID - floaters do go away in time (weeks, usually) but if yours don't, and you have the problems you say, you absolutely need to go to a new ophthalmologist, not an optometrist, not an oculist, not an optician. You need a specialist who will test you for various things and explain them to you.

Thanks Julie. I have been to ophthalmologists, at 2 different locations. And they seem knowledgeable on the eye problems. They just seem baffled when I present my problem. And they seem to do pretty detail tests on my eyes. The only thing they've found is the retinal thinning which is an effect not a cause. Sometimes I don't know if to keep on looking for new specialists. The ones I've already seen seem good at what they do. But where will I go for answers...

ldj325 wrote:Have you tried nasal pillows or a true full face mask that covers the entire face--and not just the typical "full face" mask like the Quattro etc, that covers only the nasal and mouth regions? If so and no change then it sounds like a visit to a good EENT would be in order. Sinus infections (sometimes these can be chronic and low grade and easily missed) and possible pressure effects can effect the eye.

It seems that more history as to what you have tried in terms of CPAP masks and machines would definitely be in order.

Yes! It is good that you brought this up. A while back I found a thread where someone had the problem of cpap blowing air through their tear ducts. Some of the suggestions involved using a true full face mask. The reasoning being that, if the air was going blowing out the tear ducts, then if the pressure inside and outside are the same then they will cancel each other out. So I did call up my CPAP dealer and we tried a full face mask: http://fitlife.respironics.com/features.aspx This was one of recent things I tried. The reasoning seemed logical to me but it did not help.