Table of contents:
- Why do eyes open while sleeping?
- Symptoms of nocturnal lagophthalmos
- What causes nocturnal lagophthalmos?
- Is it safe to sleep with your eyes open?
- How to treat or prevent sleeping with your eyes closed?
Have you ever seen someone sleeping with their eyes open? It may seem strange, but there is an eye abnormality that causes the eyes to open when you fall asleep and it could also happen to you. Then is it safe if this happens?
Why do eyes open while sleeping?
When you fall asleep, you won't know whether your eyes are closed or open. If when you wake up your eyes feel itchy, dry, and tired, you are likely falling asleep with your eyes open or partially closed. This can occasionally happen to healthy people.
However, if symptoms persist after waking up, you may have an eye problem. For example, nocturnal lagophthalmos or nocturnal fatigue.
Symptoms of nocturnal lagophthalmos
Apart from dry and itchy eyes, there are other symptoms that can occur if you have nocturnal disorders, such as:
- Red eye
- Blurred vision
- The eye feels sore or hot
- Easy glare
- The eyes feel like they have entered a foreign object
What causes nocturnal lagophthalmos?
Nocturnal disorders occur as a result of facial paralysis, which is in the orbicularis muscle of the eyelids which can be temporary or permanent. The cause is infection, stroke, surgery scars, trauma, or Bell's palsy (weakness in the facial muscles).
In addition, nocturnal lagophthalmos can also occur after undergoing blepharoplasty, which is a procedure to remove excess skin on the upper eyelid when aging occurs. This surgery can make the face younger, but the risk of developing lagophthalmos is greater.
There are several diseases that can also cause sleeping with your eyes open. For example, Lyme disease, chicken pox, mumps disease, polio, leprosy, diphtheria, Guillain-Barré syndrome, moebius syndrome, and neuromuscular disease. Eye disorders such as exophthalmos (bulging eyes) can also make it difficult for a person to close their eyelids. Then, the upper and lower lashes that are too thick can also make it difficult for the eyes to close completely.
Is it safe to sleep with your eyes open?
Reporting from Verywell, the eyelids provide a barrier and provide access to tears to wet the surface of the eye. In tears, there are natural antibiotics that help kill viruses and bacteria. In addition, tears also help keep the environment around the eyes moist so that the eye cells function properly.
If the eyelids are not closed during sleep, it will cause dry and red eyes in the morning. If this continues, there is a high chance that your eyes will become irritated and can harm your vision, such as damage to the cornea or blindness.
How to treat or prevent sleeping with your eyes closed?
Stinging and red eyes when you wake up are not necessarily a symptom of nocturnal lagophthalmos. Plus, you can't tell yourself whether you fall asleep with your eyes open or not. For that, you must see a doctor and take several examinations to get the right diagnosis and treatment.
Actually sleeping with your eyes open does not always have serious consequences, if you can treat it with eye drops and use eye moisturizer according to doctor's advice and supervision or also get used to sleeping with an eye patch. If the condition is severe, surgery is likely to be recommended.
