Hi have had bleph and dry eye for some years. I was at the eye hospital this afternoon to have
stitch taken out after cataract surgery. My eyes were really bad last week which I thought might be
air polution we had last week (see my recent post). They seemed to feel much better this week so
was surprised and disappointed to learn that when the doctor looked under the slit lamp the bleph
is very bad, lots of debri and blocked glands. I do usual hot compresses (flannal) massage and
cleaning with cotton buds and baby shampoo in boiled water. Anyone got any other ideas I also
take Omega 3, doctor suggested flaxseed oil and one of the bags you can buy which goes in the
microwave, also blephasol. Anyone tried these, they are all expensive and as a pensioner I am
worried that they won't work, and I will have wasted my money which I can't afford to do. Any
suggestions welcome.
I have had great success with taking flaxseed everyday on my cereal. Just a dessert spoonful daily helped
and within two weeks I saw and improvement. I have done this since November and the watering has completely stopped. I hope this helps.
Hi libralady
I too have had a bad week with my Blepharitis and like you I have had surgery.. lens replacement, which is the same procedure as cataract removal.
I was diagnosed with Blepharitis last September and am in constant battle to keep my eyes moist and free from grittiness, soreness, aching, tiredness and redness. I have a few days were I think I'm getting some improvement and then back to square one!
I do all the things you're meant to do for Blepharitis and bought one of the special eye bags, which hasn't helped me at all. In fact I get more relief, albeit it short term, with cold compresses.
I take 1000mg Flaxseed oil capsule each day but again no results. I've been trying different eye drops but no results. I use Hylo Forte drops for hydration and find these the most effective but on really bad days I have to use them every two hours!
There are many comments on this site about using Wet One wipes which some people are finding helps but others have a very bad reaction to them so as know I haven't tried them… the Optrex drops have the same ingredient as a preservative but as I've said don't help .I have not got any more ideas at present but I'm continuing to search and research!! You get to the point where you'll give almost anything a go.
Hope you find something that helps you!
I was told my a consultant that omega 3 pills are not effective as natural flaxseed or even oily fish in your diet.
I found that filling a flask with boiling water and steaming my eye over it as hot as I could bear and using a buddy to massage the area cleared it up after a few days of doing this morning and night.
Hi
If I eat much more oily fish I'll become one!!!
I will try the flaxseed though
Dear Libralady and everyone,
A friend was able to kill her Blepharits wihich had moved onto her eyelids (where you put eye shadow) with an Avon anibacterial facial scrub. They no longer make that with the ingredient that kilkled her Blepharitis.
I google what other products had Benzethonium Chloride in it (what was in the Avon antibacteria scrub).
I ended up using WET ONES, an antibacterial hand wipe. It has .03% Benzethonium Chloride in them.
I killed it off too. I had the terrible itching and just driving me crazy kind. If you are not allergic to shampoo, detergent, fabric softners and spermicidal jelly you may be albe to kill it off too.
Funny thing is they put .01% Benzalkonium Chloride in most steroid meds for the eye. It is called BAK. They put BAK in over the counter eye drops for lubrication too. It is an antimicrobial
Benzalkonium Chloride and Benzethonium Chloride are ammonium salts or compounds.
Honjon on this site used the hand wipes with Benzalkonium Chloride in them. He was doing really good. Check it out.
I was able to kill the Blepharitis (been almost 1 1/2 years now) and wear mascara at the same time.
If you want that information let me know. It involves buyint throw away wands and other simple stuff.
There were 3 doctors who looked into my eyes and could not find it. They said it would come back. I found it to be a bacterial infection. How else could 2 different products with antibacterial agents in it kill it?
Hope this info helps.
Lynda79
Hi
All I can help you with is the microwave bag. Its great. No better I suppose than the flannel {which I use first thing in the morning......but after that its the microwave bag.....in for 30 sect then you lie down for 10 mins with it on your eyes......its better than re heating a flannel and I would think more effective.
As for the rest of it ...sorry cant help. I've been back and forward to the consultant at the hospital for nearly 3 years now and the nearest I've got to a diagnosis is bleph but a lot more going on there as well and they try different things {with about 3 months between them} 
nothing has worked yet.....I'm on antibiotics and I see him next week.
As for the microwave bag...its great.
Love
Eileen
Dear Eileen and everyone,
If anyone has Thyroid problems and takes a thyroid meds you have to take your Flax at the opposite time of the day because hormones cancel one another out. My husband was drinking Soy (female plant hormone just like flax) and taking his thyroid at the same time and gaining weight.
We actually found that info at the drugstore (chemist) while waiting for a perscription in their open books about drugs.
I have thyroid problems and take my Flax and Soy at night and thyroid med in the morning.
Hope this info helps someone.
Lynda 79
Hi Lynda Very interesting I am thinking of trying flaxseed for blepharitis as recommended here. Did think I might check with GP in case it would upset my IBS or affect medication I am on. Never thought about
thyroxine I have been on it for 20years so will keep your advice in mind. Thanks for mentioning it.
Libralady 13
Dear Libralady,
When I was looking up info on Thyroid (mayoclinc) it also mentioned that you should not have milk or milk products for 4 hours after taking thyroid meds.
That includes iron or calcium supplements or antacids. I use non-dairy creamer for coffee now.
Just take your Flax or Soy or these other things 4 hours later. I do at least 8 to be safe.
Thinking of you,
Lynda79
Hi Lynda 79 Thank you for that information. I knew that you should always take thyroxine with water and at
least half and hour to an hour before eating breakfast, which I do, but like most people have a cup of tea as
soon as I am up. I knew that you should not take antacids at the same time, but I had no idea about milk,
cheese etc. Did you also know to go easy on brassica family like cabbage, kale etc. Found this out like you by doing own research. Gps seem to know nothing about do's and don'ts for hypothyroidism. There seems to be a lot of disagreement in the medical field regarding doing full thryoid blood tests not just tsh and the
range used, which seems to differ from lab to lab. According Thryoid groups like Thryoid UK loads of people are not diagnosed and some patients are under treated. By the way I was advised not to take Soy at all but
it is in lots of processed products. I am going very shortly for my yearly blood tests andI will mention this to
the nurse but I expect she won't know. Keep in touch Libralady13
Hello again Lynda Forgot to say I was told years ago (can't remember by who by I suspect it might have
been Thryoid UK) not to take your thyroxine until after your fasting blood test as it give a false higher reading.
Just wondered if you had come across that. Perhaps I have gone off the subject of blep and should have put this on the thyroid forum.
Hi Libralady,
Our Dr. (he's good on yeast problems and thyroid) told us most Dr.'s do not know that much about the thyroid. He always tests for the F-T3 and F-T4.
I had really high numbers and my GP took me off the thyroid meds. Our thyroid Dr. told us that this was a case of being really rich but cash poor. The Free T3 and Free T4 is what you are actuallly using. It even said that on the test results. Always get a copy of those and learn to read them. Not hard with a little info like this.
We do not take the thyroid meds before our tests. Most of my family uses thyroid meds. I was on the prescription ones from the drugstore but after about 5 years didn't work as well. I then switched up to Armour (from the pig). I am now on a compounding one (from the pig too). Works really good as has the F-T3 in it. They now have a chemical T3. The regular prescriptions have only T-4.
I take Soy at night for estrogen along with the flax. That's getting old for you. I don't want pill from Dr. as now they realize it is dangerous. I also had a friend who went to a Cancer Research Dr. as she ended up with stage 4 bone cancer. He was in Prevention Magazine. He kept her alive for 30 years with stage 4 cancer. She took Tamoxifen (suspresses your hormones) for 11 years. After that she took Soy, Flax and Red Clover to suspress her hormones. She had brest cancer which led to bone cancer and they are hormone fed. That worked for her for another 13 years until she quit doing it on a regular basis when started raising grandchildren.
She would still be alive if she had stayed on the program. The Dr. said she was the only person who did what he said. They now put women on those homone suspressing drugs for only 5 years and then nothing.
They do this as the drugs cause liver problems. She had that happen and just used Milk Thistle and cleaned her liver up and went on to the Soy suspressing program. Now she used 140 Isoflavones a day. I use only 70 plus all the other stuff to suspress her hormones.
I used the Soy for female problems when I was 48. It kept me going to 54 before I had menopause. I just don't take it near the thyroid time.
Talk about getting off the subject. But good for others to know this info too. I have even newspaper articles that talk about plant estrogen not letting your own estrogen get into the cell. It is becoming more know now then when my friend used it. If I had cancer and I was taken off the drugs I would do as she did as that Dr. kept her alive from age 30 to age 60. She was my best friend. She taught me to research. She though, got into Dr. research stuff. Not me.
Hope this info helps someone. I sure hope you get relief on your eyes. I had no problems and the relief was right away when using these wipes. Honjon on this site had same results too. He actually went down even faster then I did.
Thinking of you,
Lynda79
libralady, so sorry for your struggles, but congratulations on your cataracts surgery. May I suggest you get a hemoglobin test? I found that when I began a course of iron supplementation, I had an almost total remission of blepharitis symptoms.
Hi Natalie I have been having yearly blood tests for 20 odd years as I have to have thryoid levels checked
plus usual blood sugur,chlolesterol etc. I had these done this week so should get the results soon. I have
never had a problem with hemoglobin or needed to take iron during this time and I have had belpharitis for
10-15 years although it has got worse last few years. I had been wondering if my thyroid dose needs
adjusting as I have been feeling cold which is one of the symptoms. Thank you for offering this advice.
See what happens when the tests come back. I have just purchased a eye bag and bottle of blephasol so
will see if that makes a difference.
Good for you libralady13, sounds like you're on top of your health. I hope you find something that works.
Yes, yes!! I too was told to take Omega3's, pills actually, 3000 units per day by my opthamologist!! He said it might take 3 months to see an effect to reduce my dry eye symptoms. The lady in the health store advised me to take more, ie 10,000 units per day (2000 units 5Xper day), but then she might just want the sales!! Thanks for reminding me of this as I did not mention this in my messages.
My consultant said pills were not as effective. Natural flaxseed is best :-)
I use flaxseeds in my yogurt and have been for years! But I got this eye condition only in the past 3 months. I eat foods rich in Omega 3's too! I guess I just need more!! I also take astaxanthin (red algae). But I still have this eye condition, but am getting tears back at least.