if my eyes are open at night then why aren't Tranquileyes helping?

[Jennifer Krueger]

About a year ago, I had cosmetic surgery to remove large bags above and under my eyes that had been there since I was a baby (just got sick of hearing all the time, "You look really tired!) The day of surgery, my nightmare began. My eyes felt like they went into shock. The doc said my eyes would be "angry" after surgery (because I didn't realize it at the time, but I already had DES) - but my eyes had a nervous breakdown. I was in horrible discomfort from the sensation of the stitches against my eyeball and my eyes were watering uncontrollably all the time. They burned like mad and felt like they had a sprinkling of sand in them - which never washed out. I felt nonfunctional. After the stitches were removed, the pain and watering lessened greatly, but I was left with severe DES.

Now, a year later, although it is better... my eyes are functional during the day - although tired, gritty, red, burning - they're still functional. The nights are still really bad. I'm waking up every 2 hours to put in gel - which is way better than every 20 minutes like it was before - but I wonder, will my eyes ever return to somewhat normal? What is causing this?

I went to see a surgical opthamologist who specializes in post-cosmetic surgery patients -and he said that it appears that my eyes are closing. My husband watched me sleep and said that it looks like my eyes are fully closed.

So why so many problems at night? My cosmetic surgeon who did the eye procedure said it is due to a change in my tear formation. Now, he could be saying this just because he doesn't want to acknowledge that the surgery affected the closure of my eyes. So I'm trying to figure out if it's basically that my eyes/tear film - were sent into shock and the tear film has not established itself - or if my eyes aren't closing all the way.

So here's the question - sorry for all the history - If my eyes aren't closing all the way, then why is it that wearing my new TranquilEyes goggles with the inserts is so uncomfortable for me? Shouldn't I be getting relief from them? They feel just fine if I keep the inserts out, but if I sleep with them in, I wake after an hour or so (once my eyes have dried out) and have to pull the pads out because my lids are sticking to my eyeballs. Now this is with Genteal gel in and the pads moistened and the straps perfectly adjusted and so forth.

I thought that if the reason behind my night pain/discomfort was that my eyes were open, then having TranquilEyes would improve the problem - but it's not, because I can't bear to have my lids on my eyeballs.

So basically - if I don't wear the pads, but wear the Tranquileyes, my eyes dry out. If I do wear the pads, my eyes dry out and my lids are pressing on them.

All of this has led me to believe that perhaps this is a tear film issue (in which case - can the TranquilEyes really help me?) and not that my eyes aren't closing all the way. I also tried taping my eyes shut with no improvement - again making me wonder if this is a tear film issue.

As I know so many on this board can relate to - it's hard to fix a problem when you don't understand what's at the root of it.

By the way, I have gotten definite and significant relief from the dab of vaseline under the eye that one poster suggested - thank you! That helps a ton during the day!

I just ordered panoptx and onion goggles from the Dry Eye Shop. Just wondering if anyone can relate to trying the Tranquileyes with no luck, and whether this is a tear film issue or an eye closure issue. Truly, this whole thing is maddening. I almost feel like it's a punishment to me - that I should have just left my eyes alone. They worked just fine before, even if they were a little dry.

Sorry for the long post!

[liz56]

Hi, Jennifer.

I had some problems with moistening the TE's pads and started using them dry. (Thanks to Lucy for that tip!) And, they helped me better that way, so that's something to consider.

You might also want to get a corneal specialist to look at your eyes. If they had abrasions in the past and if you are predisposed with an underlying condition, it may be that the problems at night could have something to do with the condition of the epithelial layer of your cornea.

It also might be that, as in all of us, sleeping dries your eyes to a greater degree, and multiple applications of Genteal Gel and perhaps the use of Saran wrap with the TE might help.

I hope that you can find out what the problem is.

--Liz

[msienkiewicz]

You mention that vaseline under the eye helps. I was doing this for quite awhile as well until I started the restasis. It was the only thing that stopped the burning. Your tear film definitely is messed up, and it sounds to me that your oil glands are not working well either. Hence, the need for the vaseline.

During this time, I found relief from the drop Soothe XP with mineral oil. I also wore and still wear moisture chamber goggles to relieve the burning. You might want to buy a cheap pair of walmart paintball goggles to start for less than $6.oo. Wear them around the house and see if they help you.

My doctor prescribed restasis and this has helped to restore my tear film. It reduces inflammation but also contains castor oil that my eyes crave as my glands are not working well. I would not wait to find a good dry eye doctor. I would ask for a lotemax and restasis combo to jump start the restasis. Lotemax is a steroid that helps relieve the inflammation so that your oil glands work better.

Start fish oil and compresses, warm or cold. My eyes prefer the cold to reduce inflammation.

You should not have to put drops in this often, especially at night. You are disrupting what little tear film you have left. There was a time when my eyes were this bad and I sat with ice on them all evening. I too would wake up in the middle of the night with burning eyes.

Have you tried using a petroleum based ointment like Refresh PM at night instead of the gel. It has the oil component that it sounds like your eyes need.

I have tried to wean myself away from things as I feel that less is more for my eyes. You will get to a better place. Using the restasis or lotemax or both during the day should help you have better nights as well.

Best wishes,
Melissa