When I started writing on this subject, my childhood came to my mind and the moments in which I saw my brothers sleep. Some of them, I don’t remember which one, did it with open eyes, so to speak. Now I know that it really is just a part of the eye that does not close during nighttime.
This image is more common than we imagine; It even occurs without any eye disease. The vast majority of the time a third person notes, but the individual affected by that circumstance does not realize, or sleep badly, nor does drops apply. However, some studies suggest that up to one in five people could experience it, as the National Foundation of the American Dream.
Of minor discomfort to cornea ulcers
The problem arises at the moment when sleeping with open eyes (which receives the medical name of Night lagoftalmos) It goes from being anecdotal to producing discomfort as a sensation of foreign body, red eyes, blurred vision, photophobia or something as simple as not to sleep well.
On some occasions you can go beyond those mild manifestations and generate the disorder called Dry eyewhich can lead, among others ailmentsin keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) or something more serious (it occurs very rare) as cornea ulcers.
There is a test that anyone can do at home to determine the seriousness of the lagoftalms: completely close their eyes and that someone tries to open them with some force. Commonly, the result is that vision organs move up, which is a good sign. It is called Bell phenomenon And it is the natural way that the cornea has to protect from dryness if the eyes are open (or ajar) while we sleep.
Causes and possible remedies
There are some causes of lagoftalms to which we must be attentive to advance to the consequences:
- Suffer Bell paralysisa nerve disorder that controls the movements of the face and is very common.
- To be born with some alteration of the eyelids that prevent them from closing well.
- Traumas (including aesthetic surgeries as a blepharoplastythe removal of excess fat in the eyelids), infections or any muscle injury of the eyelid.
- Facial nerve paralysis for a stroke or by a tumor.
After identifying the origin of the eye problems, it only remains to be tried by any means closing your eyes when sleeping. There are several methods, such as:
- Medical tapes that unite the eyelids without hurting the skin.
- Drops, gel or ophthalmic ointments formulated with or without tape that help keep lubricated eyes.
- Surgeries to close the eyes that the ophthalmologist can suggest according to the severity of primary and secondary pathologies.
The importance of identifying it
Now maybe he is wondering: Could it be that I sleep with my eyes open and I have not noticed and that’s why they bother me so much when I wake up? It is always necessary to consider it when you tell your ophthalmologist the reason for the consultation. This helps make a better diagnosis and, therefore, a better way to treat discomfort. Or even, if it is more serious, to find a way to address the existence of some pathology derived from the night lagoftalms.
In fact, ophthalmologists are almost not in mind this cause of dry eye at the time of a consultation and, without a doubt, that note will help us remember it. Precisely, I have a young patient who cannot undergo laser refractive surgery because he suffers from a mild dry eye, without presenting any antecedent that causes it. This could be the cause; I will tell you.
I just hope we tell our friends, couple, brothers or parents who look if we have our eyes open when sleeping and we, in turn, are pending of our loved ones.
This article was originally published in The conversation. You can read it here.
#risks #sleeping #open #eyes
