Proper Way to Tape and the Best Kind

[PamJ]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum, but not new to dry eyes. I have gone several years with minimal problems since having two punctal plugs inserted, but now having issues again. Sleeping doesn't help me, so I'm wondering--as my doctor believes--that I'm sleeping with my eyes open. I wake up with them close, so my guess is maybe they're slightly open.

I often use TE, but I can still open my eyes with them on so I'm not sure they are tight enough to keep the lids from at least partly opening while asleep. So I'm wondering about taping. What type of tape and size works best? Also, I'm assuming you tape downward, not across (I know, probably a dumb question).

Also, is there another reason my eyes would be dry and burny in the morning if they had stayed shut all night?

Thanks!
Pam

[Trac]

I don't know about taping, but I put ointment in my eyes before I go to sleep, otherwise my eyes stick to my eye lids when I wake up. I use to use Refresh PM, now I use FML, a prescription steroid and Muro 128 ointment. It makes a huge difference.

[PamJ]

Trac, I've been using drops, but thinking about going back to GenTeal ointment at night that I've used before. (It also makes my eyes kinda stick shut, too, due to the eyelashes sticking together.)

I've been reading about people having the issue you do, about the lid sticking to the eyes at night. What causes that? Sounds like it would be extremely painful!

[Trac]

Pam,

I think that my eye is so dry that the lid sticks to it, like a contact lens sticks to your eye when it dries out. I have never had a problem with my eye lids sticking together after using ointment, some times in the morning under my lower eye lashes is oily from the ointment. I put the ointment inside of the lid, between the lid and the eyeball. Once I put the ointment in my vision is blury and I have to go to sleep (close my eyses) instead of reading more, some times I am in denial and I won't put the ointment in, but I will quit reading for a "little bit" and when I wake up a couple hours later my eyes are starting to stick to my lids, it is uncomfortable. Just one more saga in the dry eye story. I think you need to work with the amount of ointment that you put in and perhaps how heavy/thick the ointment is.

What kind of drops do you use?

Let me know if it works for you.

[indrep]

There are two more options that could be looked into. One is the Onyx or Quartz silicone eye covers from ey eco that I'm guessing are available in the Dry Eye Shop. The other is from www.kmisurgical.com. The make EyeGard. It is a tape for closing eyes during surgery cases that last for hours. I have several doctors who recommend it.

[PamJ]

Is it really okay to cover up your eye completely air-tight for eight hours? If you use things like the Onyx or Quartz that don't push on your lid to keep it closed, will it still help some if your lids don't close all the way at night? After reading some things here, I'm starting to get scared that using some of the things like taping or the foam inserts in the TE, if it doesn't keep my eyes completely closed all night because is "comes loose" that my cornea might stick to it (i.e. the foam, tape, etc.). Also saw those one-time-use eye bubble things?

I kind of wanted my eyelashes to stick together with the gel (not my lids sticking to my eye, but lashes sticking together) because that would help keep my lids closed! Fortunately my lids have never stuck to my eyelids. (That sounds really painful!) TheraTears and Systane. I used to use Soothe XP, but I see that's no longer made. And Genteal gel at night. Any other suggestions?

And those sclera lenses are not for wearing at night, right? I can't afford them and probably couldn't tolerate them, but still wondering. I'm thinking they're more for daytime use. And what about Dwelle eye drops?

I'm sorry for all the questions!

[PotatoCakes]

PamJ - I've had luck with the 'eyelash' method you mention. I use a vial of Refresh Celluvisc and flood each eye, shut tightly and keep them closed until I drift to sleep. A physician suggested wearing an eye mask but I would still open my eyes so then I tried TranquilEyes, which I liked but in order to really keep my eyes shut, I had to use multiple pads and I didn't like the pressure plus, I'm a stomach sleeper and wearing goggles to bed isn't comfortable when you sleep on your face. Then I tried Saran Wrap and I liked that for a while but eventually that started bothering me. One night I decided sleep was more important than keeping my eyes shut, flooded them with Celluvisc and ended up having a great night's sleep and had to 'unseal' my eyes in the morning. I usually walk 'blind' to the bathroom sink in the morning but I've thought about keeping a wet washcloth on my bedstand, to wipe my eyes before I get up.

[PamJ]

PotatoCakes, thank you. That's exactly what I'd like to do. I thought it worked for me a couple of years ago with the Genteal that I'm using again, but that's not doing the trick now. So I'll go out and look for the Refresh Celluvisc tomorrow. Yes, I'm getting to the point I'm getting very little sleep worrying about this. I haven't had any problems for about two years (and had stopped everything except still have the punctal plugs). Now the problems have returned.