Sleeping With Eyes Open Signals A Scary Underlying Health Condition

If you sleep with your eyes open, you may have an underlying medical condition that you are not aware of.

Nocturnal lagophthalmos is the failure to close the eyelids when sleeping. The National Sleep Foundation said that there are many people, including babies, who suffer from it.

If you have the same problem, health experts say your offspring may have it as well because it appears hereditary in nature. Most kids seem to grow out of it, a CNN Health report stated.

The problem is that the condition itself is something for you and your doctor to talk about as it can indicate serious underlying health problems like facial nerve damage, thyroid disease or stroke. The condition has also been known to cause exposure keratopathy and dysfunctional tear film. Aside from this, the disorder can mess up your sleep and you may end up waking in the day feeling completely tired and fatigued.

Light rouses your brain to wakefulness so unless you sleep in a place where there is absolutely no light, sleeping with eyes open all night most likely can wake you up. If not treated, the condition can lead to having dried eyes, blurred vision and, in the worst case, permanent vision problems.

The Cause

While some National Sleep Foundation experts suggest the condition is hereditary, others say it is caused by facial nerve or muscle problems that make it hard for the eyes to keep fully closed. In an article published in Healthline, it also mentioned the condition can occur due to problems with the skin surrounding the eyelids.

There are also pre-existing health problems known to cause nocturnal lagophthalmos. Among these are injuries or trauma, neuromuscular diseases, Bell's palsy, stroke, autoimmune conditions like Guillain-Barr syndrome and Moebius syndrome. A tumor or a surgical procedure to remove that tumor located near the facial nerve, like an acoustic neuroma, has also been suspected to be among the causes of nocturnal lagophthalmos.

It Is Treatable

The good news is there are several ways of dealing with the condition, which includes wearing a dark eye mask while sleeping or a special goggle that can trap moisture. Eyelid weights, which can be worn over the outside of the upper eyelids, have been recommended by doctors.

In some cases, taping the eyelids with surgical tape to keep it shut can also work. There is also a final option, known to be employed by some in the most severe cases like facial paralysis. Doctors make use of a surgical procedure allowing them to insert gold weights in the eyelids to weight them down.