Is something wrong with my humidifier? Dry eyes.

I've been having a problem for a while with dry eyes but didn't associate it with my CPAP. For the last two days, I've been waking up with a dry scratchy throat and very dry nose as well. I had filled my humidifier to the top line last night, and this morning it was about 75% full still. I had it set on 5 - the highest setting. I don't know how much water it should normally be using at that setting. Any clue?

We've moved out of state from where I got the machine and thanks to my insurance company, I now own it. I've been getting my supplies via mail-order so don't know who I'd even call to check on it.

My dry eyes are becoming quite a problem with driving, reading, etc. I put artificial tears in all day but not getting much relief. If my CPAP is blowing totally dry air all night, I can see how that could be part of the problem. I read somewhere here about air blowing OUT through the tear ducts. Is that possible? (I don't think the air is blowing directly into my eyes though - I have a nasal pillow that seems to be fitting fine.)

One of the common causes for cpap dry eye is air blowing into the eyes from a mask, but that is unlikely since you are using pillows.

If you want your humidifier to put out more moisture, change the setting in "System One Humidification" from "On" to "C" (for Classic). The Classic mode puts out more moisture.

I suffered from dry eye but my eye dr put me on flaxseed oil (capsules) and along with some fish oil (Omega 3) my dry eye problem went away in 3 months or so.

EDIT: Certain OTC drugs can cause dryness: antihistamines (like Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claratin), Tylenol PM, etc. and conditions like inflammation can cause dry eye as well.

It could be blowing from your tear ducts. They connect to your nasal passages. If you had a cold recently or bad allergies that could cause it (blowing nose too hard, blocking sneezes). Someone posted that special gel drops by Systane made a difference.

Te humidifier would not make a difference UNLESS it caused you to be more stuffed.
Is the water level going down? Is the climate different from where you were before? Do you need a room humidifier? Are there different plants blooming that you are allergic too?

Thanks Randy - I will check the setting to make sure it is on C. I had been taking antihistamines so they might be contributing.

BlackSpinner - Allergies are likely a part - it's spring here and lots of things are blooming. Since we just moved here, everything is new to me as well. It's probably more humid too - so my humidifier might not be working as well if it is adjusting to the room humidity. Does that explain the water level not going down much even when set on 5?

ohwhatanight wrote:Does that explain the water level not going down much even when set on 5?

Yes, the System One humidification works with ambient humidity to make rainout less likely. If your room is humid it will use a lot less water.

Classic mode will put out more moisture at the same setting.

ohwhatanight wrote:Thanks Randy - I will check the setting to make sure it is on C. I had been taking antihistamines so they might be contributing.

BlackSpinner - Allergies are likely a part - it's spring here and lots of things are blooming. Since we just moved here, everything is new to me as well. It's probably more humid too - so my humidifier might not be working as well if it is adjusting to the room humidity. Does that explain the water level not going down much even when set on 5?

You need to see an allergist. I know every time we moved my ex had to get new shots because there would be a different tree doing its thing.
If it is more humid there also check out your house for mold.

Thanks for all the tips!

This does bring up for me the question of who I go to if I do have a problem with my machine since now it is paid off & I don't use that DME anymore. Any ideas? Figure it's better to know now before it becomes an issue.

Hi - I just wanted to mention that there is a condition called 'Sjogren's syndrome' ('Showgrenz') which is related to arthritis or autoimmune problems and you could ask your doctor to check for it.... usually people here complain of either dry eyes or mouth (either a badly fitting mask or the need for a full face mask), but not often both, and you might want to look up what I mentioned.

ohwhatanight wrote:who I go to if I do have a problem with my machine since now it is paid off & I don't use that DME anymore. Any ideas? Figure it's better to know now before it becomes an issue.

Any local DME who handles Respironics machines routinely could act as a go between between you and Respironics for warranty issues.

Thanks so much for this great advice! I love this forum, I never would have figured this out on my own. I changed my humidifier settings last night to C5 and what a difference!! My eyes will actually tear today - something they haven't done in a couple of weeks. Also my stuffy nose is finally starting to drain (yuck) so the moisture definitely helped.

I have a HEPA air purifier that I turned on in the bedroom too last night (haven't been using it for a couple of years.) The pollen counts are really high here and everything is new to me. So that may help a bit too. Also took some Mucinex.

Julie - Thanks for picking up on the dry eye + dry mouth. I actually have been tested for Sjogren's since I have another auto-immune disease and people often have more than one. I think I might have just been so stuffed up that I slept with my mouth open some unknowingly. Or maybe just medications dried my mouth out. It also seems a bit better today.