Really Dry eyes

PST wrote:But for all the possible causes, I never really noticed problems until starting CPAP, and when I did have dry or slightly blurry eyes, I dismissed it as a mere nuisance. On Monday, while traveling, I woke with intense pain in one eye and eventually stopped to see a local ophthalmologist. He diagnosed something called epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) in both eyes and a big scratch on one cornea. EBMD involves a tendency of the outermost layer of the cornea to separate from what is underneath, which opens the door to scratches and erosions, the way wallpaper might get more easily torn in a place with a bubble. He definitely thought dry eyes had aggravated my problem, as EBMD is often asymptomatic.

Hi,

This is interesting. I developed the same thing (EBMD) after starting on CPAP. My eye doctor says that some folks experience a problem with their tears getting a bit sticky as they get older. The sticky tears can make your eyelids stick to your cornea. Since I didn't really sleep for about a year and a half before starting on CPAP, my eyes didn't adapt as my tears started to get more sticky. Then I suddenly started sleeping though the night, and with my eyes being closed for long periods of time, the lids started to stick to my corneas. The result is patches of the top layer of the cornea coming off.

Fortunately, my issue isn't getting any worse, and it might even be healing on its own. If it does heal, I either need to be content with a few blurry patches, or get a laser treatment.

-john-

There are a few options that might help you.

One is to use some sort of eye protection while sleeping. There is the Quartz, which is a clear silcone shield for the eyes, that is here: http://store.nexternal.com/tdec/quartz-p346.aspx the nice thing about this product is that when you get up in the middle of the night you don't have to take it off as you can see through it.

Other option is to use a type of eye protection that actually hydrates your eyes during the night. I've used this one in the past when my eyes were giving me trouble: http://store.nexternal.com/tdec/tranqui ... -p356.aspx and it worked very well.

Another option that I have found incredibly helpful is to use a compounded eye drop that is 2% cyclosporin. This is compounded by Leiter's Pharmacy in San Jose California. You'll need a prescription for this, and it's about $84 a bottle, but it has worked wonders with my dry eye problems. It seems like a miracle drug. If I miss it for several days my eyes start to bother me. Although they say to throw out the bottle after 30 days, I found that it will last for two months if I'm careful not to contaminate the eyedropper by touching it to my eye.

Regardless of what type of CPAP mask you use, there is good probability of minor leaks that blow into your eyes. Also for some people the air actually leaks by going through their sinuses and out their eyes.

good luck in overcoming this problem. Dry eyes are among the most uncomfortable physical sensations that our bodies produce, so don't give up, find a solution.