Swollen eyelids and dry eye?

[Julie1]

I have been wondering if anyone else experiences very swollen eyelids when they wake up in the morning.

I experience significant swelling of both eyelids (the area directly above the eyelashes) every morning when I wake up. The swelling really is not anything new and has been happening since my dry eye problems started. My eyelids are so puffy and are swollen to about 1/8 of an inch. The lids are also a tint of purple, almost like a bruise (but not as purple as a bruise). The swelling goes down (but does not completely go away) as the day progresses. I don't think I am having an allergic reaction to any artificial tears or ointments because the swelling happens regardless of which products I use and also occurs when I do not use any products. Is this my lacrimal gland swelling? I thought the lacrimal glands were located above the eyelid, not directly next to my eyelashes. Do I have a tumor? If I had a tumor, I thought that only the affected eye would be swollen, and it would be very unlikely that I had a tumor in both eyes. Does this swelling mean that I am having an inflammatory response? Do I have an autoimmune disorder even though all my autoimmune tests were clearly negative?

I asked my doctor about this swelling, and he really did not know what was causing the swelling. I thought about bringing a picture, so that he could see what my eyes look like.

If anyone has any ideas of what might be causing this swelling, please let me know.

Thanks, Julie

[calli66]

My eyelids swell up sometimes, too--right where you're describing--the whole area above the eye and under the eyebrow. And, it builds up over night, like yours. My eye doctor thought it was related to the blepharitis.

I haven't thought about WHY too much. It doesn't worry me--except as an indicator that I'm going through a bad period with my eyes. It looks kind of strange, too.

Maybe it's part of the natural healing process. The body tries to do regulation and repairs while one sleeps.

Irritation causes inflammation and fluid build-up. Too much fluid in the tissue won't go away easily--and when you're sleeping, I think circulation processes slow down.

C66