Do Your Eyes Sleep as Well as You Do?
These days people are busier than ever. Between work, long commutes, getting kids fed and to and from school and practice, study sessions, workouts, and maintaining our social networks – there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Often the portion of our schedules that takes the hit is the amount of sleep we get.
Everyone knows that sleep is important. Along with a multitude of other reasons, it’s necessary for good eye health. Sleep gives our eyes a chance to relax and recharge. After a day completely full of visual processing and stimulation, sleep is the only time our eyes aren’t sending visual data or information to the brain. It gives eyes an important break so they are ready for the next day.
Several studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep suffer from dry eye or other eye related problems. Dry eyes often go untreated because people don’t realize that it can be treated and also that dry eyes can cause damage. The surface of the eye can become inflamed and lead to pain, ulcers, scars on the cornea, and even loss of vision.
Besides not getting enough sleep there are other conditions at night that can exacerbate dry eyes. Tear production is reduced during sleep. If you sleep in a drafty room, by the widow, under a ceiling fan, with the AC on, or with forced air heating – this can accelerate tear evaporation and dry the eyes. There are also many people who naturally sleep with their eyelids slightly open. Those using a CPAP machine for treatment of sleep apnea often experience dry eye due to air leaks in their CPAP mask.
If you experience blurred vision, a scratchy or burning sensation, or excessive watery eyes – especially through the night or in the mornings – it might be nighttime dry eye.
To avoid nighttime dry eye it is important to protect your eyes from drafts and dust and to put eyes in a humid environment.
Eye Eco’s eyeseals™ 4.0 shelter eyes from airflow, dust particles and low humidity environments. They are made of FDA approved medical grade thermal plastic and manufactured in Temecula, California. When in use they help create a moisture rich space over the eyes to hydrate the eyelids and preserve tears. They are recommended for nighttime use to relieve dry eye for anyone including those with Lagophthalmos, aqueous deficient dry eye, floppy eye syndrome, recurrent corneal erosions and CPAP users. We recommend the clear eyeseals™ 4.0 for CPAP users.
