Has anyone else noticed more styes since using CPAP?

Ever since starting to use a CPAP about 2 years ago I get pretty frequent styes in both eyes. Lately I've been trying to wash my mask more (about once a week), since I'm thinking that might be causing it?

Anyway, I'm wondering if this is something that affects anyone else? And has anyone figured out a way to prevent it?

Thanks for any help!

See an ophthalmologist!
No connection to cpap.
My father used to say that peeing in the road causes styes.
Did you do that?

> see an opthalmologist

I have. They said it's no biggie and to soak it with a tea bag. Or a hardboiled egg. And yes, I'm a notorious peer in the roader. So maybe that's it.

But if anyone else has noticed an uptick in styes after starting CPAP, I'd love to hear from you.

No. Been on cpap for 13 plus years now and never had a stye in my eye.
Correlation doesn't always equal causation.

> Correlation doesn't always equal causation.

Definitely true! Just as it's also true that just because it doesn't happen to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen to anyone.

I'm not saying I'm sure about the cause of course, hence this post.

You probably already know the cause of a stye on the eyelid.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... c-20378017

and there's so much more to it than what you have shared but if it was me I would wash the eyelids more often than once a week.
Wash off the dead skin and remove any bacteria laying around to potentially get into a pore and start the infection.

Is your mask maybe leaking into your eyes more and causing more dead or dry skin or whatever??? Wouldn't be impossible but it would be going out on a long skinny limb to blame cpap and mask leaks.

I was my eyes every day, it's the mask I wash once a week.

wrybread wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:53 am

I was my eyes every day, it's the mask I wash once a week.

Ahh...sorry for the confusion. I misread your comment and thought you meant your eyes.
I was wondering how anyone could take a shower and not get the eyes wet but then people do sometimes do weird things.

The only thing I can even remotely think of pertaining to cpap use and eye lid infections would be if the vented air or mask leaks was sometimes hitting the eyelids (which I would think someone would notice and be annoyed with) is the drying effect of the air and maybe dry skin making it more easy to get some sort of skin infection. It's long skinny limb to go out on though and I just don't see anything relating to cpap having much of a chance of increasing the chance of repeated infections in the eyelid.

More likely just bad luck in general I would think.

Maybe someone else has different thoughts.
Just how many in the past year are you talking about?

I won't say way more but I have gotten some since I started pap and I never had any before. I figured it was me getting older and my skin changing. I never would have thought to connect it to pap.

wrybread wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:53 am

I was my eyes every day, it's the mask I wash once a week.

Which model mask are you using?

Resmed Airfit N20. It goes right under my eyes and they frequently get irritated and teary after using it.

That is the mask I use also.

The next time you're eligible for a new mask, give a different style mask a try. Try a set of Pillows or Cushions.

Consider a ResMed P10, N30, P30i or N30i

They often have less leaks than traditional masks, and should they leak will have a much different leak jet than straight at your eyes. They also are much further away from your eyes.

Who knows you might even prefer it over your N20.

Thanks @dog, good advice.

They said it's no biggie and to soak it with a tea bag. Or a hardboiled egg.

Soak your eye with a tea bag or hardboiled egg? Now I'm just picturing someone lounging about with slices of hardboiled egg on their eyes instead of cucumber slices.