The prolonged heat of this summer has left me with another case of eyes so swollen and sore that I can barely see. Having the air of fans or AC blowing across them – even while I sleep – has caused a serious enough situation that I needed to take action.
I tried a bandana, but that didn’t work.
Not my image
If your eyes are bad enough, there are sleep goggles to keep your eyes hydrated at night. They also make you look a bit like Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix. The catch? They are around $60+ shipping, and they only last a few months.
As an alternative, I found someone’s more economical suggestion of using clingy plastic wrap to cover your eyes. I don’t have plastic wrap, so I borrowed some for my nocturnal experiment. That night I put a big blob of what amounts to ophthalmic petroleum jelly in my eyes, wrapped them up and tried to sleep.
The plastic wrap was hot and crackly, but it did clue in to something I hadn’t known before. I had never realized that I open my eyes even before I fall asleep. The plastic crackled every time I did, and I would force myself to close them again. Sadly, the gel and the plastic wrap still did not solve my problem.
Yup, the next step was taping my eyes closed.
I am one of those lucky individuals who has a negative reaction to the adhesive on surgical tape and Band Aids. This led me on a hunt for hypoallergenic tape that wouldn’t cause my eyes to swell shut. (Although that probably would have solved my problem.)
Interestingly, while searching to tape, I found out that the latest fad is “mouth taping”. Seriously. It promotes breathing through your nose while you sleep, and it is supposed to cause you to sleep more deeply and wake more refreshed. Imagine all those logopthalmic mouth breathers all taped up like mummies at night!
I still haven’t discovered a proper solution to my problem, but I’ve found that using tape and plastic wrap over my eyes gives the most comfortable results. (My mom cringed when I told her that. “Comfortable?” she asked. Oddly enough, yes.)
Isn’t there someone out there who would like to adopt a little terrier? I am a good boy, and I don’t bark too much. Please?
******************************************
Oil painting of Westie puppy.
Capture memories of your own furry companion with a pet portrait from L Bowman Studios. Pet portraits make great gifts for birthdays or Christmas. You can also order one as a loving tribute for a friend or family member who has lost someone dear to them.
Information about sizes and pricing are available at my website: L Bowman Studios.
The Adventures of Bitey Dog 
DEAR LADY..
SOMTHING AS MPLE AS A COLD DAMP FLANNEL FOLDED AND LAID ACROSS YOUR EYES WILL SOOTH THEM AND BE REASONABLY COMFORTABLE.
HUGSSSSSS
I’ll give that a try!
It seems to me that sleeping with one’s eyelids down will protect them from the breeze of a fan or the blowing of an air conditioner. Maybe a good idea might be to find out why you sleep with your eyes open. It sounds like a muscular/neurological thing to me.
As for the home solutions I’d avoid the plastic wrap completely, The reason being that it doesn’t allow your eyes and skin to breathe. A bit off topic… my dog had surgery at OSU for a cyst on her tail. Locally a general vet would have amputated part of her tail, but for different reasons that wasn’t the route we wanted to take. Anyway, we were told to use the cling wrap with the one sticky side to wrap around her bandage and her tail when she went outside, but to always unwrap her tail from the plastic wrap immediately since the lack of breathability of the plastic could possibly allow infection and gangrene to set in… so on that note I don’t think I’d use plastic wrap as a long term home medical tool. Only use it for short term to avoid water on an injury or to protect a bandage.
Also, I’d avoid the weird goggles, too. It sound Internet gimmicky to me. Again, I honestly think I’d get down to the heart of the matter and figure out the zombie sleeping style with the eyes open. That has to freak out humans and dogs alike.
Another idea is to cut the a/c and put the fans on low. I don’t really like a/c myself and it’s close to 90 degrees most days, but I have it for my dog. I like her to be comfortable.
Another idea: maybe also a typical sleeping eye mask might help, but if your eyes do open at night you might scratch the lens and cause real damage, so it might depend on the fit and the fabric.
Sorry for the long post — I hope you get some relief!
From what I’ve learned, the condition is often the result of nerve damage from trauma or from certain diseases. Sometimes it happens “just because”. The treatment I found is for the symptom, not the condition. Gold grains are surgically implanted in the eyelids near the lashes to give the lids weight and keep them closed. I don’t know anyone around here that does the surgery, though.
I had the same concern about the goggles and the plastic wrap. I pictured yeast issues. A lot of CPAP users wear googles, though, so maybe they’re not all bad?
Thank you for the good wishes. I hope to report a good night’s sleep soon!
I have something similar to this – same brand, different model.
It works really well, and it’s not horribly expensive. Worth a try!
I will have to look into that. I was reading what the company rep said about their product specifically designed for dry eyes, and it sounds promising. Thanks!
I’ve got one eye that remains open a bit when I sleep. The ophthalmologist attributed it to “age.” I didn’t punch him out but wanted to. The AJF attributes it to being too lazy to close the eye. I dare not even think of punching her out. Uh, uh no way. My routine is to put a drop or to of GenTeal Eye Gel (has to be the gel, not the ointment or drops) at bed time and a drop of Tears on waking. The GenTeal is the only product that works for me and I treid bunches of others. It’s a rad pricey at about $14 a small tube, but, hey. Also found that warm compresses for 5 minutes before bedtime helps a bit but I’m am lazy soooo…Anyway, here’s looking at you, kid. And looking, and looking, still looking…Oh yeah, Toby I will adopt you in a heartbeat.
Ha! You always make us laugh.
It sounds like you are just very serious about keeping an eye on things. 😉😆
I have read good reviews about the GenTeal drops. Will have to give them a try next time I buy some.
Toby says: Yippee! Someone wants to take me away from all of this!
I’m so sorry to hear you are struggling with this! 😦 😦 😦
You’ve gotten some good advice from your friends in comments here.
I hope find something that works well for you!
My hubby probably wishes I’d tape my mouth at night…sometimes I talk in my sleep. 😮
(((HUGS))) 🙂
PS…This is a serious subject you posted about…but you, also, made me laugh! And the phone call to the CaninePS made me snort-laugh! 😀
Toby,
Coop and I would adopt you, but we think your Mom needs you and you need her…so hang in there, be patient, and keep busy eatin’ and sniffin’! 😀 😛
Toby says: I’ve not only been sniffin’ and eatin’ but I’ve rolled in some pee too! Nothing like keeping the humans busy, eh?
I am so sorry that you are suffering like this. We will say a prayer that you find a solution soon.
Thank you! You ladies are so sweet.😊