Air from Eyes

[WarmBodies]

When I woke up this morning there were little spurts of air coming out of the corner of one eye. I am certain I was awake and not dreaming. It did not hurt and I guess there is no concern unless it happens frequently.

Has this happened to any other cpaptalk member?

[bap40]

Yes, this happens to a lot of us from time to time. It is an air leak. Your mask will have to be adjusted to fix it. Over time it will dry out your eyes and of course affects your leak rate. One thing could be the actual size of the mask. It could be too big and you might need a smaller size. Good luck!

[chunkyfrog]

If the air is coming OUT of the little hole in the corner of the eye; yes, there is a duct from the nose to a little pouch
under the lower eyelid, and the little hole (puncta) can let cpap air through. This is not usually a problem, but if it is
really bothersome, you may see your eye doctor about a punctal plug (I think that's what they call it),
or you can try a total face mask:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html
My hubby wears one with cpap, as do several others on this frorum.

[jencat824]

As ChunkyFrog said if it is coming OUT, that is fixable with the punctal plug.

If you mask is leaking INTO the eye that can be a serious problem. I don't want to alarm you or anyone else reading this post. When I first started on CPAP years ago, I had problems with masks leaking into my eyes that lead to corneal abrasions & one corneal ulcer (I had dry eyes to begin with). This can damage the eye & you don't want that. Took over two years for the effects of the corneal ulcer to heal & return to a more normal vision. I still have some visual problems from that ulcer to this day (13 yrs later).

If your mask is leaking into the eye, work on adjusting the mask so it doesn't leak or change masks. To protect your eyes in the meantime, there is an excellent eye gel OTC for dry eyes, this will protect your eyes if you have leaks. and, I may be entirely wrong and your leak may be comeing OUT from the eye, in which case ignore what I just said.

Jen

[Conrad]

If the air is coming OUT of the little hole in the corner of the eye; yes, there is a duct from the nose to a little pouch
under the lower eyelid, and the little hole (puncta) can let cpap air through. This is not usually a problem, but if it is
really bothersome, you may see your eye doctor about a punctal plug (I think that's what they call it),
or you can try a total face mask:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html
My hubby wears one with cpap, as do several others on this frorum.

The nasolacrimal duct of my right eye is plugged up (not intentionally) and I occasionally have issues with my right eye 'leaking' and running down my face. It only happens when the wind is blowing in my face while outside or sometimes when I yawn. My doc told me of a procedure to unplug the duct but I have a phobia about eye surgery, so that ain't happenin! I'll deal with the tears on my face from time to time. I just wanted to let the OP know what might happen if she went with a plug.

[chunkyfrog]

The total face mask will help with air leaks going either way--into or out of the eyes.

[jweeks]

If you mask is leaking INTO the eye that can be a serious problem. I don't want to alarm you or anyone else reading this post. When I first started on CPAP years ago, I had problems with masks leaking into my eyes that lead to corneal abrasions & one corneal ulcer (I had dry eyes to begin with). This can damage the eye & you don't want that. Took over two years for the effects of the corneal ulcer to heal & return to a more normal vision. I still have some visual problems from that ulcer to this day (13 yrs later).

Hi,

Something similar happened to me. As we get older, our tears tend to get more sticky. Over time, your eyes adjust to that and the cornea gets a little tougher. However, in my case, I went from almost no sleep to getting 8 hours of sleep. So my eyelids would stick to my cornea. Opening my eyes would cause abrasions. It is surprisingly painful, and it causes damage to your vision. My eye doctor says that he sees this in CPAP patients from time to time.

If the damage is just to the top layer of the cornea, it can be treated with a laser eye surgery where they take off the top layer of the cornea and let it grow back. It is more painful than things like Lasik, but it works pretty well. I am still too chicken to do it.

-john-

[WarmBodies]

little spurts of air coming out of the corner of one eye.

"Coming out" means "coming out" not "blowing into".

As ChunkyFrog said if it is coming OUT, that is fixable with the punctal plug.

If you mask is leaking INTO the eye that can be a serious problem. I don't want to alarm you or anyone else reading this post. When I first started on CPAP years ago, I had problems with masks leaking into my eyes that lead to corneal abrasions & one corneal ulcer (I had dry eyes to begin with). This can damage the eye & you don't want that. Took over two years for the effects of the corneal ulcer to heal & return to a more normal vision. I still have some visual problems from that ulcer to this day (13 yrs later).

Jen

Can you tell me more about punctal plugs?

I do have some very dry eyes when the furnace is running a lot.

[Conrad]

little spurts of air coming out of the corner of one eye.

"Coming out" means "coming out" not "blowing into".

As ChunkyFrog said if it is coming OUT, that is fixable with the punctal plug.

If you mask is leaking INTO the eye that can be a serious problem. I don't want to alarm you or anyone else reading this post. When I first started on CPAP years ago, I had problems with masks leaking into my eyes that lead to corneal abrasions & one corneal ulcer (I had dry eyes to begin with). This can damage the eye & you don't want that. Took over two years for the effects of the corneal ulcer to heal & return to a more normal vision. I still have some visual problems from that ulcer to this day (13 yrs later).

Jen

Can you tell me more about punctal plugs?

I do have some very dry eyes when the furnace is running a lot.

Google is your friend.

http://www.google.com/search?q=punctal+ ... nu&ie=&oe=