There is a condition that is physiological
Eye opening or closing is accomplished by the contraction and relaxation of the extraocular and expressive muscles, especially the levator aponeurosis and orbicularis oculi.
When they contract, the muscle fibers pull the eyelids (upper eyelids) apart, causing the eyes to open wide; when they relax, the muscle fibers relax and the eyes close naturally.
Usually when a person falls asleep, the upper and lower eyelids are closed together and the lid fissure is in a state of disappearance. This allows the conjunctiva and corneal tissue to be covered by tear film infiltration and facilitates tear circulation.
In life, many small infants often sleep with their eyes half open. This is mainly because the infant’s nervous system is not well developed, the brain is unable to fine tune, this situation will gradually disappear with the development of sound.
Half-open sleep in adults is mostly due to abnormal physiological structures, usually belonging to mild eyelid closure incompleteness, tight eyelid skin, oversized eyeballs themselves, or overly wide double eyelid surgery, which may be the causative factors.
If the cornea (i.e., at the black eye) is turned upward and only a little of the conjunctiva (i.e., at the white of the eye) is exposed during sleep, this is generally normal and requires no intervention.
However, if you can see a significant black eye, you need to seek prompt medical examination to investigate thyroid-related eye disease, congenital glaucoma, corneal chyloma, and orbital tumors.
Half-open eyes in sleep is also a sign of disease
If you often have rolling eyes in your sleep, especially when accompanied by other uncomfortable symptoms, you should be alert to the fact that it is pathological.
1
Abnormal thyroid function
Thyroid-related eye disease can lead to incomplete eyelid closure, resulting in half-opened eyes during sleep.
This is due to antibodies to thyroid stimulating hormone receptors in the patient’s body, which can stimulate hyperplasia of the tissue behind the eye bulb or stimulate hypertrophy of the eye muscles, resulting in proptosis of the eye and incomplete eyelid closure.
In life, it is important to be screened for thyroid function as soon as you notice the bulging eyes. Patients with mild thyroid-related eye disease can have their eyes restored to normal by controlling the primary disease; moderate to severe patients usually need to receive hormone therapy or surgery.
2
Facial nerve abnormalities
Peripheral facial palsy caused by injury to the peripheral segment of the facial nerve can also result in weakness of eyelid muscle closure and consequent eye closure.
These patients also often have symptoms such as little facial expression, crooked corners of the mouth, and shallow nasolabial folds, and should be seen by a neurologist promptly.
Eye drops, eye ointment, and eye shields can be used to protect the eyes with incomplete closure. The good news is that the sleeping half-open eyes caused by this condition can gradually recover as the condition heals.
3
Ectropion of the eyelid
Scarring and age-related ectropion of the eyelid can also cause varying degrees of incomplete eyelid closure. This condition usually requires surgical correction to return the eyelid to its proper position and allow the upper and lower eyelids to close naturally.
4
Myotonic Dystrophy
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is often characterized by low facial expressions, weak eyelid closure, and difficulty whistling and puffing the cheeks.
This condition requires attention to increase nutrition and ensure normal activity; physical therapy and orthopedic treatment are important to maintain active function, but more strenuous exercise is discouraged.
Long-term half-open sleep brings 4 hidden dangers
Whether for physiological or pathological reasons, sleeping with eyes half open for a long time will bring health effects to some extent.
Affect the quality of sleep
Melatonin is a “light-controlled” peptide hormone, secreted by the pineal cells in the human brain, it can regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, to help sleep. Sleeping with your eyes closed helps to reduce the stimulation of light on the brain and avoid disrupting melatonin secretion.
People who sleep with their eyes half open can wear eye masks or use curtains with good blackout effect, and try to turn off the light source in the bedroom when they sleep to reduce light exposure at night.
Prone to dry eyes
During the day, the body protects the eyes by blinking to produce a tear film; at night, when you fall asleep, the body maintains a relatively moist environment by closing the eyes. Sleeping with the eyes half open will accelerate the loss of water from the surface of the eyes, leading to dry eyes in some people.
At this time, you can use humidifiers, artificial tears and other ways to relieve, if the symptoms are serious, you can wear wet room mirror at bedtime, so as to ensure a moist environment for the eyes.
Conjunctival infection
Contact between the conjunctiva and the air while sleeping may cause infections such as dust, bacteria or viruses, which may induce exposure conjunctivitis, resulting in symptoms such as conjunctival congestion and foreign body sensation in the eyes.
In this case, it is important to seek prompt medical attention from an ophthalmologist and receive antibacterial or antiviral treatment as prescribed by the doctor. The use of neti eye drops is not recommended, and the drugs they contain may have certain side effects.
Corneal damage, affecting vision
The cornea needs to be in a moist environment for a long time, so if you lose too much water on the surface of the eye when you sleep, it will easily induce exposure keratitis, or even corneal ulcers, which can seriously affect your vision.
The cornea is afraid of dryness, and people who sleep with their eyes half open should pay particular attention to the prevention of dry eye. Try to control the screen time during the day and remind yourself to increase the blinking frequency, which will help reduce the risk of corneal damage.
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