Dry Eyes When Standing

[ana_22]

hey ...just wanted to ask if anyone gets dry eyes when standing?

before i got sick i would occasionally wear contact lenses like at concerts or movies and stuff. in the months before i got sick my eyes would be really dry and i would have to keep using those drops so my contacts would feel comfortable. a few times i just had to take them out as i had no drops with me.

anyway now sick i notice that my eyes get dry and achy but only if i have been standing up.....could be 2-3 minutes and they get dry. if i were to stay in be all day i would not have this problem

is this normal for pots? what causes it? is it just an 'energy' thing? body not having any energy for lubricating eyes?

im pretty sure its not sjorjens syndrome as it only happens when im standing or at least upright.

thanks

[Maisie87]

ana_22

I have POTS and have experienced dry eyes as well. But I haven't noticed a trend- then again I'm rarely standing.

Dry eyes is a known symptom of POTS- just not as primary and dizziness/fatigue/weakness etc..

I don't know the cause, but with POTS new and strange things come up all the time. When I stand, I get hot flashes and flushed, my hands and feet become cold but sweat profusley.

I'd check with an eye doctor to rule out any other cause and possibly get some drops to help the symptom, but POTS is more often than not the culprit for these annoying quirks.

best of luck*

Maisie

[erik]

I get dry eyes. I haven't noticed it being only upright or worse upright, although I do have POTS. I too am usually laying or sitting/laying except for during activities/exercise and dryness continues even supine.

I'm on Evoxac now... which mostly increases salivation but might help the eyes (tear glands) a little bit too. I love the extra saliva (probably sounds strange/gross but it's true)... mouth feels much healthier. I may end up taking Restasis or whatever can help the eyes more directly. If stuff shuts down too much, infections can creep in (beyond just the "discomfort" factor).

Something strange I only learned recently when reading about this stuff is that there are glands in the cheek & lip. I had no idea! I have had weird but mild swelling & tenderness in those spots for so long and was just confused by it (thinking it was just basic flesh). Perhaps I've had minor infection/inflammation going on related to my lack of tears & clearance from those ducts!?!?

I'm not surprised to hear that dry eyes is reported with POTS. Keep in mind also that Sjogren's or Lupus or similar can cause POTS (autoimmune attack/neuropathy) and take "long time" to diagnose. Even though evidence might not be there, one can keep that on the back burner as a possibility. If either of those conditions were progressing, one would want to identify & halt them sooner rather than later as best one can. I believe a rheumatologist is the route for investigating those. Either way, get the symptoms on the record so any potential emerging pattern is documented.

I don't know what would explain timing the dryness with being upright. It is in the autonomic nervous system realm so some sensical or nonsensical interaction isn't entirely surprising. The glands are triggered by muscarinic receptors of acetylcholine (for example, Evoxac is an M3 selective muscarinic agonist). Perhaps some competition for the neurotransmitter supply is going on... or some regulatory shift changes thresholds on triggering things... or if you body goes in to "fight/flight mode" it might make perfect sense to shut down less essential processes???

[ladyt]

i cant use contacts because of dry eyes..

During the day i dont usaly have to use much eyedrops (depends on the day).. But every night, i have to drop before sleep and during the night a couple of times (i wake up because of dry eyes)..

So my eyes seems to be worse when laying down and nigth time, make no sence as usually...

[Tammy]

I have had horrible dry eyes since being sick. I use to wear contacts with no problems, than basically over-night, my eyes got so dry that even at night I'll wake up and have to put eye drops in to help.