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Dry Eye from Full Face Masks?
I noticed that Corinne had mentioned in one of her posts about changing from one mask to another due to dry eye. I have had problems with many different masks and several months ago switched to a brand new mask from ResMed called the Quattro FX that was more comfortable for me. I have had increasing problems with dry eye to the point where I have blurred vision all day, have seen the opthalmologist for diagnosis and treatment and have been on prescription and non prescription eye drops. I contacted Resmed as I strongly suspected that the air exhaust from the mask blowing up on my face was at least contributing to the problem. They suggested Rx eye patches which my eye doc nixed and he suggested taping my eyes shut at night with paper adhesive tape.
I have tried nasal masks and they seem to shift around more and I get aerophagia from time to time with them due to a possible "venturi" effect from the air going up the nostrils. I used the Mirage Liberty for awhile as I do open my mouth when I sleep. The RT from the Home Health Company has told me that chin straps are difficult to cope with and suggested that I not try a nasal mask only in the past.
Does anyone have any advice or solutions? The eye doc did a Schirmer's Test on me and I have severe dry eyes. I don't want to develop corneal scarring and it feels like I am looking through a haze all the time.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Corinne on
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Hi Karen! Thanks for letting you posted this discussion. I had the same problem with the Quattro and Quattro FX full face mask. The air exhaust was leaking into my eyes constantly which caused my eyes to be red and dry. Plus one weekend my face skin was extremely irritated and tight so I had to let my skin recovered before I went back on the CPAP. (it even hurts to put on lotion). I tried the cloth liners for the Quattro which did help with my skin sensitivity and leaks. Even with the liners I still got red and dry eyes. Unfortunately my sleep specialist had me fitted for another mask due to the dry eyes. She said there was nothing I could do to fix that problem. By the way, I am a mouth breather with allergies and deviated septum. Also very petite (4'7"). Doc diagnosed me on the spot when she look at my nose and mouth before I had the sleep study to confirm.
I now uses Mirage Liberty Full Face with Nasal Pillows and having leaks. However I do not have dry, red eyes anymore. I am about to order liners from padacheek.com to see if it help me get a better seal. I am going to try this before resorting to nasal pillows (not too keen on all that pressure going directly into nose only). A new problem with this mask is that I wake up in the middle of the night and take off the mask. I think the leaks annoyed me and then I give up. I think the other part is anxiety of getting good sleep with this mask.
You should try another mask for the sake of your eyes. Maybe someone here have some tips for that problem. I am learning that you just have to keep trying different masks until you find the right fit. I know there is a company in Australia that make custom made mask and I wish we had that here in the States.
Sorry I am not very helpful. I am still a newbie and started sleep therapy on January 2011.
Blessings, Corinne
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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Have the eye drops help? I have severe allergies and have noticed with age my eyes are drier and the eye doctor did some tests on my eyes and said that I am not producing enough tears. Eye drops seem to help in my situation.
Have you tried goggles -- I know I have read where some have tried various eye goggles and have found some of them effective -- others have used sleep masks to help (the kind that are cloth and cover your eyes to shield the light). Might be worth investigating in your in case.
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Thanks, Carol and Corinne for your kind responses. I use the eye drops day and night with minimal improvement. My eye doc said that a sleep mask or RX eye patches would not be a good solution.
The eye mask would allow air in, he says! The opthalmic patches would be cumbersome to try to use with a CP mask. The only solution he had was to tape the lids shut and that presents other safety sorts of problems. I was hoping for a mask that wouldn't blow air in my eyes or have the issues inherent in using nasal masks that I have experienced.
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Permalink Reply by Ginny Edmundson on
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I can't even begin to imagine the horror of wearing a CPAP mask AND taping my eyes shut~no way I could do that!
Karen Schoen said:
Thanks, Carol and Corinne for your kind responses. I use the eye drops day and night with minimal improvement. My eye doc said that a sleep mask or RX eye patches would not be a good solution.
The eye mask would allow air in, he says! The opthalmic patches would be cumbersome to try to use with a CP mask. The only solution he had was to tape the lids shut and that presents other safety sorts of problems. I was hoping for a mask that wouldn't blow air in my eyes or have the issues inherent in using nasal masks that I have experienced.
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What is his objection to you at least trying a sleep mask like they sell at Wal-Mart, just cloth mask that would be easy to remove in case you needed to. They are cheap for the most part and if it didn't work you wouldn't have much in it.
I am like Ginny, I don't think I could tape my eyes shut as I could see me having a major anxiety attack about it.
I haven't heard about any RX eye patches or masks so can't comment on them.
Try over at cpaptalk.com and see if they can recommend something to help you without much expense. I know there have been many discussions on that forum about dry eyes and different solutions that have helped. Good luck.
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Hi Sleepy Carol: I don't think the doc has an objection to a sleep mask, he just doesn't think it would work at keeping the air out of the eyes-not snug enough?
And, Ginny-I haven't tried taping them shut yet as I am also a bit freaked out at that.
Carol: I will try cpaptalk.com to see if there is anything there that might help. Thanks much!
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Permalink Reply by MyLady Cunningham on
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Hi All:
I wear an eyemask at night because my cpap leaks, too! I've tried several of the cheap kind, which are worthless...the only one that literally blocks the air is a mask I found at TARGET...it costs about $5-6...and can be found in the spa items isle. It's a regular looking mask (Tan satin), but the difference is it has a spongy padding along the bottom..and that's what blocks the air. Give it a try...
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Hi, I also had major problems with the Qauttro and very dry eyes - none beflore CPAP. After many home made attempts I found Tranquileyes at the Dry Eye Shop. They have made all the difference and fit snugly with the mask.
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Thank you MyLady C and Susan A. MyLady: Do you happen to have the brand name of the mask at Target? You described it rather well and I was hoping to call my local store before going there to make sure that they had the product.
Susan: I will check out the Dry Eye Shop!
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I have NOT bought one yet but found it online at the target website. I think it is the one on the left in the photo of 3.
Karen Schoen said:
Thank you MyLady C and Susan A. MyLady: Do you happen to have the brand name of the mask at Target? You described it rather well and I was hoping to call my local store before going there to make sure that they had the product.
Susan: I will check out the Dry Eye Shop!
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Hey Ginny: I had looked at that website, but the one you suggested is only available online and MyLady said she got it at the Target Store, so I thought perhaps it was the other one in blue?????
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Gee, I don't know. MyLady had said hers was a tan color & that one looked tan. She said hers was $5-6. I still don't think I can stand having my eyes covered at night. It is enough to have my mouth & nose covered, headgear and padacheek padding!!! We would all be hilarious at a CPAP party.... all in our "evening dress"!
Karen Schoen said:
Hey Ginny: I had looked at that website, but the one you suggested is only available online and MyLady said she got it at the Target Store, so I thought perhaps it was the other one in blue?????
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