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Fatigue and inflamed eyes

Messages
10
Location
Sweden
Whenever I feel fatigued my eyes become completely inflamed.

I'm talking bloodshot with thick squiggly veins, dry, irritated/gritty and sensitive to just about everything (light and wind e.g.). Sometimes when I haven't slept enough, they also get this sunken look to them and consequently my dark circles become even more prominent.

It mostly happens on days following a bad night's sleep. The whole following day I look like a complete mess and my eyes feel uncomfortable.

Other days I wake up and feel fine. My eyes look bright and feel smooth, then towards late afternoon or early evening I often get hit with a wave of fatigue. I yawn every couple of minutes, my brain shuts off, anxiety, drowsiness and not to mention it looks like I have conjunctivitis/ocular rosacea.

I get the same eye symptoms if I skip meals or go longer than, let's say 5 hours or more, without food/water.

Eye drops that lubricate help marginally but I need to basically abuse them to have a noticeable lasting calming effect and they do nothing for the redness. The ones that "remove redness" help the most but I really don't like using them because of the rebound effect when I stop using them.

Does anyone know what the mechanisms behind this could be? Seemingly every time I get fatigued my eyes get the worst of it..
 

gregh286

Senior Member
Messages
976
Location
Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
i am like that also.
they go very puffy and baggy below eyes....coincides with fatigue level. additionally higher thirst comes as well.
i can tell a fatigue crash is near or in full flight by puffy eyes/dry mouth.
i cant tell why these are trigger identifiers.
My best guess is endocrine dysfunction by HPA axis....and/or a hormonal distress
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
Okay, have you ever been tested for Sjogrens Syndrome? I have Sjogrens and the main part of the illness is dry eye. When I am extremely fatigued, the same happens to me. I am not saying you do have this and it could be part of CFS/ME, but for me, it is this illness.

I have to use Restasis.

Dry mouth is also a major symptom as the disease affects the eyes and mouth the most.

Just something to think about. I thought it was ME for years and found out it was another illness that can be treated and there are medicines for.
 
Messages
10
Location
Sweden
Thank you for answering..

My eyes never go puffy or baggy when I haven't slept well, quite the opposite actually. It's like someone took a syringe and drained fluid around them.

Regarding mouth dryness I don't seem to have a problem with that and usually I seem to produce a lot of saliva. I do have a problem with excess phlegm.

I have been looking around on Sjogrens forums and I can 100% relate to their eye symptoms. Dryness, burning, light sensitivity, gritty feeling, itchiness and redness that's chronic all year long.
Even though I have had a history of excess dental cavities and asthma like issues, my nose and mouth usually aren't dry.

So I haven't been tested for Sjogrens and I'm not sure I fit the bill, but I have and appointment with an ophthalmologist next week so hopefully I can start at least ruling things out.

Mostly I wanted to see if someone knew of any systemic issues that could cause this. I feel as if it were a wave of inflammation that washes over me suddenly and all I want to do is go to bed and sleep it off. I never thought a person could yawn that many times in a short period, but here I am and it's been coming and going for the last couple of years.
 

gregh286

Senior Member
Messages
976
Location
Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
yeah I get that crash wave.....like a tsunami is coming.
only place is bed when it arrives.
eyes and dry mouth not too much annoyance....I have very bad fatigue mostly everyday......its much much worse.