Face down sleeping

[Mastiff]

This may or may not be dry eye related. I'm a face down sleeper and have really started to notice that whichever way I end up turning my head on my pillow, the downward eye will be dried out, blurry and bloodshot in the morning. I don't know if my eye is just getting squished, or if it is actually getting pried open by the pillow or what. I simply can't sleep on my back. Has anyone had anything similar, maybe with some trick that helped? I thought maybe a sleeping mask would help, but it really didn't work out to have the mask going into the pillow. The more extreme thing I've considered is taping my eyelids closed, but I haven't gone there yet. I'm really thinking it has more to do with the pressure on my eye anyway, though I don't know for sure. Thanks.

[msienkiewicz]

I do think that it has to do with the pressure on the eye. I have a weighted sleep mask that is put in the freezer. I use it at night. I have to be very careful with it because if I leave it on too long, it squishes my eye, and I have very blurry vision. My rice pack will do the same thing if left on too long. Scares the daylights out of me....

Melissa

[Rebecca Petris]

Pressure certainly can explain temporarily blurry vision (happens to me with a rice baggy sometimes too), but this is more:

whichever way I end up turning my head on my pillow, the downward eye will be dried out, blurry and bloodshot in the morning.

I think you're probably right about the lid opening on the pillow. This is more common than you would think. It can take a lot of experimentation to come up with the right kind of eyewear that works for you and in the meantime probably taping is a really good idea. Trust me, it's not as awful as it sounds. Make sure you use a skin-friendly tape. Different ones work for different people. For me, the Micropore paper tape worked well because the adhesive left no residue and it didn't hurt to remove, but some people's skin is irritated by paper tapes.

For some of the people I know with this condition, a rigid eye guard was the only thing that worked well long term. There's things like post-surgical goggles (like the 'simple sleep goggle' in the shop, or even ask your doctor what they have in their office - they might have some other kind of lasik goggle that is better) and also the Medtronic NiteEye Bubble Eye Bandage. Those latter are single-use so they get very expensive but for certain 'niche' needs they are just the right thing.

[Mastiff]

Thanks for the ideas!

[Moonraker]

After 14 years of a dry right eye I've been advised to tape the lids, but I don't think I've got the knack yet. (Matters aren't helped because a couple of stitches hold one corner together, giving less lid for the tape to stick to!) I'm trying going to sleep with my eye socket pressed in to the pillow, which seems to close the lids - until I shift position in the night, of course.


Moonraker

[alisonW]

I too sleep on my stomach/face and have lagothalmus. I recently purchased the Escape Sleep Mask from the Dry Eye Shop and it has helped me tremendously. I think because it's molded to leave space for your eyes (my eyes can be open with the mask on, while it's still blocking out the heater, air conditioner, etc.) there is no pressure on your eye like you get from typical sleep masks. My eyes are less red and dry in the mornings. I can now even use only a gel drop at night, and don't need the thick vaseline-like ointments I used to need. For me, it's also a lot more comfortable then tranquil eyes goggles since I do sleep on my face. You may want to give it a try.