Ugh!!! Keeps blowing in my eye!!

[Jdouglas08]

Hello all.. I am new to this site and have been using my cpap for about 6 weeks. No matter how I lay or how I adjust it the mask keeps blowing in my eyes... The only thing I can do is hold it.

[chunkyfrog]

If you register, there are pulldown menus where you can display your equipment (text, please)
Solutions vary depending on the mask, sometimes the machine and pressure as well.

[Rob108]

I kinda have the same problem. I'm tolerating it now but I spend waking hours with puffy, watery, bloodshot eyes. It's not an extreme leak because my machine displays a smiley every morning. I do feel my eyelashes being stimulated and attempt to readjust my mask or change the exhaust direction but haven't woke without eye irritation yet. Looked at "goggles" but not sure they'll fit under my full face mask (and they're expensive).

[Sheriff Buford]

The "blowing" is the vent rate. All masks have them, and most machines will account for the vent rate in the leak calculation. It's to remove any CO2 from your breath... to keep the CO2 from re-entering your body. It works on the eduction concept. Like when you smoke a cigarette in the car and barely crack the window. The smoke gets pulled out of the car by the wind speed. The vent removes CO2 the same way. Sometimes, I want to see if the cpap machine is on, so I'll put my hand/fingers on the vent area and see if its blowin'. Don't ever try and plug or block the vent, you could end up in real trouble. I can twist my hose in a different angle and my vent will blow out in a different direction... but I don't have an issue.

Sheriff

[Jdouglas08]

It's not the vent.. It's a leak around my mask.. I'm so frustrated and I can't get thru the whole night wearing it because I get sick of trying to fix it

[Rob108]

It's not the vent.. It's a leak around my mask.. I'm so frustrated and I can't get thru the whole night wearing it because I get sick of trying to fix it

I'm with you about it not being a vent problem (most of the time - 99%). Mine 's at the contact point bridge of nose & face.

[Pugsy]

Try a different mask. That's why there are so many models. Not every mask will work for everybody.

Any mask that leaks so much it is disturbing sleep or causing eye problems or causing abrasions or sores... that can't be remedied...needs to be replaced by a different mask.

Sometimes mask liners help.
Padacheek makes some great mask liners that last months and months. http://www.padacheek.com/
Remzzzs makes some disposable liners..forum member Becky memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=62662 works for Remzzs and will send you some free samples..send her a note and tell her what mask you are using

Sometimes the person is fitting the mask wrong or its the wrong size...so be sure to confirm that the size is correct (most masks have some sort of template available to check size) and watch the videos to make sure something is missing during the fitting
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/masks.html
Sometimes the mask simply won't work for any number of reasons and it needs to be replaced by something else.

Newbies typically have 30 days to swap out masks. Check with your DME to be sure what their in house policy is and use it while you can. Don't spend the whole 30 days on one mask if it is being problematic. Try something else while you can.
Full face masks...even more problematic for fitting simply due to the surface area involved.
Mask preferences are highly individualized. One man's treasure is another man's trash. A person has to try it to see if it works for them or not.

Or tell us which mask you are using and maybe someone here can offer hints to make it work better if it is close to working for you.

No mask should blow air into the eyes. None of the vented air should blow back on the face unless it is bouncing off something.
If it's leaking that much and can't be stopped...try something else.
Any leak that disturbs sleep is unwanted even if it is a tiny leak. The goal is to sleep and if the mask is keeping you from sleeping....get a different mask if you can.

Mask problems....either from improper fit...improper size or simply the wrong mask for your particular face.

[Sheriff Buford]

My bad...

I use the Quattro as my back up mask. The first night... it leaked real bad because I had it way too tight. I took it off in the middle of the night and donned my trusty standby... the Fitlife Total mask. I realized the next day that I had the mask way too tight. I downloaded the "taming the Quattro" instructions and it helped me a lot. It was the first mask I ever heard of starting the cpap machine BEFORE donning the mask. This allows the cushion to inflate before putting the mask on. To me... that was the secret and I was able to get a good seal all night... the next night...

Bottom line: if your leak rates are unacceptable, then you are losing therapy. If you have a mask and you cannot stop unacceptable leak rates, then you need to drop kick the mask into the next county and try a mask that you can "tame". We all "mask search" for different reasons, but not being able to control the leaks may be at the top of the list... with comfort being up there... too.

Sheriff

[SabrinaFaire]

I'm having the same problem. I started cpap last Friday so maybe I just haven't adjusted things right. I'm using the Quattro Fx for Her. It's fine at first and then about an hour and a half later it wakes me up b/c it's blowing in my eyes. Definitely not the vent.

[Rob108]

Forgive me if this posts twice, thought i hit submit but it disappeared
I have a very large head (8 3/4 hat size) so mask sizing is limited. I initially tried a quattro FX full face in large (with the large headgear) but it rode up my face so much so that I'd wake up eating the bottom of it. Went back to the Comfort gel full face in XL I used for titration ( sized by both the polysomnography tech and the DME respiratory tech). It works well but I side sleep and that results in a miniscule eye leak. I mouth breathe and have done so for more than 40 years due to breaking my nose fielding a baseball for which I had surgery to fix the resultant deviated septum,
I have a treated ahi of 1.7, down from 108.5 so treatment is obviously working. I'd like to try those goggles (specifically developed for cpap users) but at $43 they're pricey and Im not sure the would fit under the full face mask with forehead brace.

[Jdouglas08]

I will try to loosen it..It worked great for like 2 weeks and now i keep having to take it off or can't sleep because it's driving me crazy!!! Thank you everyone for the responses.

[Foggy1]

I began using the RemZZZs liners and it alleviated the problem with miniscule leaks near the bridge of my nose.

[msla]

With the nasal Nano, I notice that the hose can sometimes pull on the mask, changing the angle with the bridge of the nose and set a leak up towards the eyes. Perhaps having a different path for the hoes across you bed will cure those annoying leaks. This works for me.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert with a full face mask.

[Sir NoddinOff]

For a long time I kept leaks from getting in my eyes with an ankle length wool sock.(yeah, you read that right) I just tucked it around the top part of my mask and it seemed to get the job done and keep my eyes leak free... however, when I moved around it would sometimes dislodge which was not cool.

Now I'm using the Onyix goggles linked below, they are designed for CPAP and I have taken a fancy to them. It did take a week to get used to the fit but it's not too hard if you give it a chance. Also, my eyes were getting a little too moist towards the AM hours, therefore I used a hole punch (used for notebook paper) to punch two holes: one in each far corner of the goggles, ie. away from my nose. This modification seems to keep the moisture level very comfy inside the goggle and I barely notice I'm wearing them anymore:

http://www.amazon.com/Onyix-Silicone-Sl ... B003DQQ4LW

As a big plus, when the morning light hits my window these goggles block out ALL the light

LAST MINUTE NOTE: These goggles will not work with some full face masks like the Mirage Quattro... ask around before you plunk down fifty bucks.

[chunkyfrog]

Those goggles only come in one size, non-adjustable center link.
If your face is small, forget it.