Sleeping with your eyes open.

[Prue B]

Ok this is a wierd one, you know the sort of thought that crosses your mind at night when you cannot get to sleep. I was thinking about dry eyes. Mine have been giving me a bit of stife at the moment but my sister who also has KC has a much greater problem with dryness, in her eyes, that I do. The major difference I can think between her and I, is she often sleeps with her eyes open. It is really disconcerting to see, there is this white slit looking at you. She has done it since she was a child. I was wondering does any one else do it. Is it a KC thing where we are not as copmfortable closing our eyes completely, or is she, as I have always suspected, unable to miss out one anything even when asleep.

[GarethB]

Prue,

I know there are people with KC that do not close their eye properly when blinking and this has been assigned to being one of their causes for dry eyes.

Perhaps it is these people who sleep with the white slit looking at you?

[Ali Akay]

Prue
Sleeping with eyes open(incomplete lid closure) is not uncommon and, in extreme cases patients tape their lids with eg. micropore tape before going to bed to prevent the corneas drying up overnight.When we instill fluorescein dye to examine patients' corneas the area of "desiccation" shows as a horizontal band of staining in the inferior part of the cornea or sometimes as a "smiley face" pattern. This would usually exacerbate dry eye symptoms, and it would be worth your sister trying a lubricant at bed time to help keep the eyes moist overnight before she tries the more extreme measure of taping! For patients not wearing contact lenses something like Lacrilube ointment is good, but there could still be some in the eye in the morning, hence would be better to try Viscotears gel for contact lens wearers.

Have you asked someone to observe your eyes when you are asleep to see if you have the same problem?

[Prue B]

Well my husband has never commented on it. I actually am using lacrilube myself when my eyes get dry and finding it helps. Found it horrid stuff until my husband told me to warm it first and it is wearable day or night for me now. My hubby used to use it on animals. He is a handy resource for eye meds.
I will ask my husband if I do it. I never did as a child, but maybe I do a bit now.