Please help my dry eyes

[halu]

Can anyone give me any tips for countering dry eyes. When wake i can't see until i put drops in my eyes. the condition seems to be worsening.

[Julie]

Can you tell if it's because air from the machine is getting into your eyes or is it a separate issue?

If it's the machine, then you need to look at a different mask, a different size, some kind of fix to keep it from happening, but if it's independent, it's a different condition and your doctor should be told (but you can get artificial tears at the drugstore meanwhile).

[filpa]

Dry eye syndrome is a chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye.Dry eyes also are described by the medical term, Dry eyes also are described by the medical term, etc.My doctor told me to use genteal. They are preservative free because my eyes are very sensitive.

[RandyJ]

2 things that I do nightly might help you:

1. At bedtime, put Refresh PM gel in both eyes; it will help to keep your eyes moist all night long. (Do this last before going to sleep, you won't be able to read after you put it in.)

2. If your mask permits, wear a cloth eye mask over your eyes when you sleep so that air leaks from your cpap mask (if you have them) won't blow directly into your eyes.


During the day, you could use an artificial tears lubricant 3-4 times to keep your eyes moist (I like Systane Balance).

Good luck...

[jweeks]

When wake i can't see until i put drops in my eyes. the condition seems to be worsening.

Halu,

You might want to see an eye doctor. There is a thing called "corneal dystrophy" that new CPAP users are susceptible to having, especially if you are over 40. It comes from sticky tears and sudden improvement in sleep. Your eye doctor can see this pretty easily and may have some good suggestions on minimizing the impact and on long term treatment. Keeping good lubrication during the day, as other have suggested, will help. Systane is an excellent product despite being a little expensive. I was able to get some samples from my eye doctor, so it is worth asking about.

-john-

[torontoCPAPguy]

I had the same thing the other morning and am convinced it was my mask. Either breaking seal and firing air into my eye (Bernoulli's Theory e.g. high pressure air) or the mask actually sliding over and pressing on my eye? In any event, i went to the eye doc and he said no abrasions, gave me antibacterial eye drops which cleared the issue up in short order (a matter of hours). It was scarey there for a bit.

In two years I have never had this happen.

[chunkyfrog]

I have to put artificial tears in every morning--Even with nasal pillows--which hardly leak at all.
I'm working on modding a pair of swim goggles to allow side ventilation,
but still stop the cpap leaks from hitting my eyes.
I think I'l replace the strap with a piece of fabric--the testing begins---

[chunkyfrog]

Here is a product that your eye doc might approve of:
(check with him first)
http://www.dryeyezone.com/encyclopedia/ ... leyes.html

[ariana]

I started having dry eye problems about a year and a half into CPAP therapy, also a problem with huge bags under my eyes in the mornings, reducing to smaller bags later in the day. Started using the Tranquileyes described in the link in the message above, along with Systane Ultra eye drops with no preservative, which have become my favorite eye drops.

I figured that the little tubes that connect the inside of the nose to the eye, that makes us get sniffly when we cry, were probably getting dry from the rush of air of my nasal pillows, since as far as I can tell I have no air rushing at the outside of my eyes. Went to an eye doc who agreed to put silicone plugs in my tear ducts. This has been a wonderful and dramatic improvement. I no longer have itchy dry eyes, and I started using fewer eye drops until now, two three months later, I don't need any. Alas, I still have bags under my eyes.

Anyway, good luck. Hope some aspect of my story helps you.

[VikingGnome]

My doc used to give me LACRILUBE. It's an ointment that stays on your eyes all night and protects them from becoming dry. I found it worked very well.

I was looking at night masks. None of them will work if you are wearing a nasal or FFM because they all cover bridge of the nose. Then I thought of eye patches but couldn't find any at RITE-AID.

[halu]

I love this Forum, you people are so helpful and clever. I like the way you can put those helpful links or threads thingys into your posts, at my age i am still struggling to master pen and paper.

[bayourest]

I have good success using genteal gel for severe dry eyes. It comes in a little tube. The gel is easy to apply. I use it at night (and any other time my eyes are bothering me) and it helps a lot.

[halu]

Thanks for all the tips guys & gals. I used Lacrilube one night, which made a small improvement. The following night I used Lacrilube and a cloth mask which made a big improvement. The problem with the cloth mask was getting a good seal under my face mask. I am thinking of changing my present mask to a pillows, because I also want to try the ZEO bedside. Incidently has anyone tried the wrist monitor for sleep managment ?

[Big Steve]

I have a bad case of dry eyes and my eye doc put me on Restasis eye drops 2 drops in each eye 2 times a day along with Genteal lubricating eye drops for "severe" dry eyes 2 drops in both eyes 3 times a day and Systane Free eye drops. I've had a bad case of it in the last 2 months with all the tree pollen here in my area. Genteal drops do help but make reading and watching TV difficult for about 30 minutes after each use; blurs my vision. I saw my eye doc back in December 2011 when he diagnosed some kind of an allergy in my left eye when it felt like I had scratched the cornea; sand in your eye kind of feeling with burning and itching and he put me on another eye drop called Lastacaft which got rid of that allergy in about 10 days; Lastacaft is good stuff.

I'm still fighting with the watery eyes and now they're both beginning to itch again and I will probably be going back to see my doc if conditions do not improve. I have considered using patches over my eyes at night but that has been a hassle. I use to get this every February right after pine tree pollen came out but Hurricane Katrina got rid of most of the pine trees in my neighborhood back in August 2005 and yet I'm still having this problem. I've been on Restasis for more than 5 years and to this day it still burns for a few minutes every time I use it. My severe dry eye problem has to be connected to my CPAP with air from my mask leaking out and blowing up into my eyes but has been made worse by the recent warm weather here making the pollen levels in the air go crazy.

[snoozysue]

I find that I am able to use the Tranquileyes mask under my Quattro FFM. I put it under the mask just as I am about to go to sleep and it stops any air going into my eyes.