Medically reviewed by Dr. Bijan Cohenmehr, OD Last reviewed
Lagophthalmos: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
The lids that never quite seal.
Lagophthalmos means the eyelids don’t close completely — most often during sleep, when nobody notices. Even a sliver of exposed eye dries out over eight hours, which is why the signature symptom is mornings that start crusty, burning and blurred.
- Signature
- Symptoms worst on waking
- Causes
- Lid laxity, nerve weakness, anatomy
- Found by
- Lid closure and blink exam
- Treated with
- Night protection + Optilift
The morning pattern
- Crust along the lashes on waking
- Burning, grittiness or pain first thing
- Blur that takes minutes to clear
- Redness concentrated in the lower eye
- A partner who says you sleep with eyes slightly open
Why drops alone fail
Drops don’t tighten a loose lid or retrain a weak blink. If the seal is the problem, treatment has to address the mechanics of closure — not just add moisture.
Treatment
Protect at night, strengthen by day.
- Nighttime gel, ointment, or moisture protection while you sleep
- Evaluation of blink quality and lower lid laxity, since weak daytime blinks starve the oil glands too
- Optilift: FDA-cleared DMST muscle stimulation plus radiofrequency, to support lid closure, blink strength and gland function
- Treatment of the MGD that chronic exposure leaves behind
Connected conditions
Poor closure rarely travels alone.
Articles
By Dr. Brandon Cohenmehr, OD
Also consider
Next step
Mornings are the clue. The exam is the proof.
Book an evaluation of your lid closure and blink with an eye doctor in Los Angeles.