Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy It OccursSymptomsComplicationsDiagnosisTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why It Occurs
Symptoms
Complications
Diagnosis
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
People who sleep with their eyes partially or completely open usually have no idea their eyelids aren’t closing during the night. But this condition, known asnocturnal lagophthalmos, isn’t uncommon. About 5% of adults sleep with their eyes at least somewhat open.
People with nocturnal lagophthalmos may experience daytime issues as well since some don’t have a full blink and theeyelidsdo not fully close day or night. That means that at least part of the eye never receives enough tear lubrication, and it’s continually exposed to the open atmosphere. This can cause affected eyes to dry out and makes them feel tired and/or itchy.
Babies and young children may sleep with their eyes open more often than others, but they often outgrow it. It’s also prevalent among older adults due to changes in eyelid tissue.
Why Some People Sleep With Their Eyes Open
You may also start to sleep with your eyes open after undergoing upperblepharoplasty. Blepharoplasty is a procedure used to remove excess skin on the upper eyelid (suprapalpebral hooding) that often occurs with aging. The procedure can help you see better as well as look younger. However, if too much upper eyelid skin is removed, the lagophthalmos may develop.
Verywell / Gary Ferster
What Nocturnal Lagophthalmos Feels Like
Obviously, unless you video yourself while sleeping, you won’t realize you sleep with your eyes open until you experience symptoms.
If you have nocturnal lagophthalmos, you may awaken with dry eye symptoms such as:
Some people also experience increased light sensitivity.
Your eyelids provide a barrier, allowingtearsto lubricate the surface of your eyes. Along with nutrients, tears have natural antibiotics to help kill viruses and bacteria.
When you sleep with your eyes open, that barrier is broken. Your eye becomes exposed to the outside environment and the tear film begins to evaporate almost immediately.
When this occurs night after night, your eyes can become inflamed and the cornea and conjunctiva may form dry spots, ulcers, and even scarring if not treated.
Other tests can be used to determine the quality of your tears. Special dyes in eye drops can be instilled in your eyes to determine the surface condition of your eyes. Staining patterns on the corneas will determine the amount of time it takes your tears to evaporate.
Treatment for Sleeping With Your Eyes Open
Treatment for sleeping with your eyes open often involves managing eye irritation. Your healthcare provider may recommend using artificial tear eye drops several times per day along with a bland eye gel or ointment at bedtime. Ointments may be applied to the cornea at bedtime in severe cases. Because ointments can cause vision to blur, most people can only tolerate them during sleep.
To prevent the eyelid from opening at night, medical-grade hypoallergenic tape may be gently applied to the eyelid to keep it closed. A mask worn over the eyes may also help. Your healthcare provider may also recommend that you turn down or turn off ceiling fans.
In severe cases, a gold weight may be applied to the outside of the eyelid or surgically implanted inside the eyelid. The gold weight is compatible with the body and uses nature’s gravity to help provide a full blink.
Another more recent treatment option is scleral contact lenses or corneal gas permeable lenses which cover the cornea and create a more natural and protected environment on the surface of the eye.
A Word From Verywell
Don’t be afraid to ask your healthcare provider if you might be experiencing lagophthalmos. Sometimes it is difficult to know, as your eyes may be dry due to other causes such as dry eye syndrome.
The effects of sleeping with open eyes can be severe. Treatments could significantly improve your quality of life.
Children most often keep their eyes partially open because they have facial nerve palsy, which may be due to a temporary, treatable condition such as Bell’s palsy or a middle ear infection.Learn MoreWhat Is Bell’s Palsy?
Children most often keep their eyes partially open because they have facial nerve palsy, which may be due to a temporary, treatable condition such as Bell’s palsy or a middle ear infection.
Learn MoreWhat Is Bell’s Palsy?
It’s not uncommon to sleep with your eyelids open to some degree. About one in 20 adults do.However, the practice can cause irritation and possibly damage to the eye, so you should discuss it with a healthcare provider.Learn MoreWhat You Can Do About Dry Eyes
It’s not uncommon to sleep with your eyelids open to some degree. About one in 20 adults do.However, the practice can cause irritation and possibly damage to the eye, so you should discuss it with a healthcare provider.
Learn MoreWhat You Can Do About Dry Eyes
Learn MoreBest Drops for Dry Eyes
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.DelRosso LM, Lehnert D, Chen ML.When sleeping with eyes closed is optional.Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019;15(10):1551-1553. doi:10.5664%2Fjcsm.8002American Academy Of Ophthalmology.Exposure Keratopathy.Vásquez L, Medel R.Lagophthalmos after facial palsy: current therapeutic options.Ophthalmic Res. 2014;52(4):165-9. doi:10.1159/000365519Yang P, Ko A, Kikkawa D, Korn B.Upper eyelid blepharoplasty: evaluation, treatment, and complication minimization.Semin Plast Surg. 2017;31(1):51-57. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1598628Hamedani A, Gold D.Eyelid dysfunction in neurodegenerative, neurogenetic, and neurometabolic disease.Front Neurol. 2017;8:329. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00329Kim K, Graham A, Li W, Radke C, Lin M;Human lacrimal production rate and wetted length of modified Schirmer’s Tear Test strips.Trans. Vis. Sci. Tech.2019;8(3):40. doi:10.1167/tvst.8.3.40Harthan J, Shorter E.Therapeutic uses of scleral contact lenses for ocular surface disease: patient selection and special considerations.Clin Optom (Auckl). 2018;10:65-74. doi:10.2147/OPTO.S144357Rai B, Moka S, Sharif F.Nocturnal lagophthalmos: never seen before in hypernatraemic dehydration.BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014(apr11 1):bcr2013203427-bcr2013203427. doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-203427American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sleeping with Eyes Open.Additional ReadingLawrence, Scott D. and Carrie L. Morris, MD. Pearls.Lagophthalmos Evaluation and Treatment. American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2008.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.DelRosso LM, Lehnert D, Chen ML.When sleeping with eyes closed is optional.Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019;15(10):1551-1553. doi:10.5664%2Fjcsm.8002American Academy Of Ophthalmology.Exposure Keratopathy.Vásquez L, Medel R.Lagophthalmos after facial palsy: current therapeutic options.Ophthalmic Res. 2014;52(4):165-9. doi:10.1159/000365519Yang P, Ko A, Kikkawa D, Korn B.Upper eyelid blepharoplasty: evaluation, treatment, and complication minimization.Semin Plast Surg. 2017;31(1):51-57. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1598628Hamedani A, Gold D.Eyelid dysfunction in neurodegenerative, neurogenetic, and neurometabolic disease.Front Neurol. 2017;8:329. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00329Kim K, Graham A, Li W, Radke C, Lin M;Human lacrimal production rate and wetted length of modified Schirmer’s Tear Test strips.Trans. Vis. Sci. Tech.2019;8(3):40. doi:10.1167/tvst.8.3.40Harthan J, Shorter E.Therapeutic uses of scleral contact lenses for ocular surface disease: patient selection and special considerations.Clin Optom (Auckl). 2018;10:65-74. doi:10.2147/OPTO.S144357Rai B, Moka S, Sharif F.Nocturnal lagophthalmos: never seen before in hypernatraemic dehydration.BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014(apr11 1):bcr2013203427-bcr2013203427. doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-203427American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sleeping with Eyes Open.Additional ReadingLawrence, Scott D. and Carrie L. Morris, MD. Pearls.Lagophthalmos Evaluation and Treatment. American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2008.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
DelRosso LM, Lehnert D, Chen ML.When sleeping with eyes closed is optional.Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019;15(10):1551-1553. doi:10.5664%2Fjcsm.8002American Academy Of Ophthalmology.Exposure Keratopathy.Vásquez L, Medel R.Lagophthalmos after facial palsy: current therapeutic options.Ophthalmic Res. 2014;52(4):165-9. doi:10.1159/000365519Yang P, Ko A, Kikkawa D, Korn B.Upper eyelid blepharoplasty: evaluation, treatment, and complication minimization.Semin Plast Surg. 2017;31(1):51-57. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1598628Hamedani A, Gold D.Eyelid dysfunction in neurodegenerative, neurogenetic, and neurometabolic disease.Front Neurol. 2017;8:329. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00329Kim K, Graham A, Li W, Radke C, Lin M;Human lacrimal production rate and wetted length of modified Schirmer’s Tear Test strips.Trans. Vis. Sci. Tech.2019;8(3):40. doi:10.1167/tvst.8.3.40Harthan J, Shorter E.Therapeutic uses of scleral contact lenses for ocular surface disease: patient selection and special considerations.Clin Optom (Auckl). 2018;10:65-74. doi:10.2147/OPTO.S144357Rai B, Moka S, Sharif F.Nocturnal lagophthalmos: never seen before in hypernatraemic dehydration.BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014(apr11 1):bcr2013203427-bcr2013203427. doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-203427American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sleeping with Eyes Open.
DelRosso LM, Lehnert D, Chen ML.When sleeping with eyes closed is optional.Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019;15(10):1551-1553. doi:10.5664%2Fjcsm.8002
American Academy Of Ophthalmology.Exposure Keratopathy.
Vásquez L, Medel R.Lagophthalmos after facial palsy: current therapeutic options.Ophthalmic Res. 2014;52(4):165-9. doi:10.1159/000365519
Yang P, Ko A, Kikkawa D, Korn B.Upper eyelid blepharoplasty: evaluation, treatment, and complication minimization.Semin Plast Surg. 2017;31(1):51-57. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1598628
Hamedani A, Gold D.Eyelid dysfunction in neurodegenerative, neurogenetic, and neurometabolic disease.Front Neurol. 2017;8:329. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00329
Kim K, Graham A, Li W, Radke C, Lin M;Human lacrimal production rate and wetted length of modified Schirmer’s Tear Test strips.Trans. Vis. Sci. Tech.2019;8(3):40. doi:10.1167/tvst.8.3.40
Harthan J, Shorter E.Therapeutic uses of scleral contact lenses for ocular surface disease: patient selection and special considerations.Clin Optom (Auckl). 2018;10:65-74. doi:10.2147/OPTO.S144357
Rai B, Moka S, Sharif F.Nocturnal lagophthalmos: never seen before in hypernatraemic dehydration.BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014(apr11 1):bcr2013203427-bcr2013203427. doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-203427
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sleeping with Eyes Open.
Lawrence, Scott D. and Carrie L. Morris, MD. Pearls.Lagophthalmos Evaluation and Treatment. American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2008.
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