At Last there may be some hope for Blepharitis Sufferers

Eye care
1

I have posted the following on another thread

Hi ,

I really know what you have been going thru , I have had blepharitis bouts for the last 3 years , always in right eye and always ending up with the same result.

Basically my eye becomes red and swollen over about 3 days , i generally refuse to accept that it is happening again , i then head off to my opthalmologist (he is the number eye doctor in Australia) and Chairperson of the Eye Association , so I feel like im in good hands.

I generally go on Flarex drops for 10 days my eye clears , it then deterioates into a stye forming and around 2 months later , i go into surgery for a general anaethestic and have the stye removed.

I sometimes feel that i have no more areas on my lids for stys to form , i have had around 4 removed.

As i sit here and type i am now going thru the cycle again 2nd day on Flarex and probably a stye and operation to look forward to.

Im am a  45 year old male  in very good health and live in Australia.

I have tried everything possible and every recommendation that has ever been offered to me but still it comes back. Every remedy on the internet I have tried , whilst it may work for some people , it may not work for others

Whilst scouring the internet last month , I made contact  with a Professor Stephanie Watson from the Sydney University. She is developing a drop that will actually treat the inflammation but also treat the blepharitis , this will be a world first for blepharitis sufferers as all drops only treat the symptons and not the cause.

Not too sure how long it will be , they completed stage one trials last year and as most universities around they world they are waiting on further funding before they can commence stage 2 clinical trials. Apparently the early trials are nothing but sensational

I will keep everyone posted and for all blepharitis sufferers I truly understand and appreciate what you are going thru and all i can say is that whilst we would all like to wake up in the morning have normal eyes , i always put it into perspective that there alot of people around the world that have far more serious problems to deal with than my blepharitis

2

That sounds interesting ezytrak, thank you.

 

3

This sounds very encouraging.  Can't wait to hear how it turns out.  Meanwhile I have conquered my blepharitis with using the Wet Ones.  The active ingredient is benzethonium chloride 0.3%.  I started using them to wiped the base of both my eyelashes ans and eyebrows 4 times a day.  I also use warm compresses and a salin eye drop. It has been 6 months and my eyes are clear.  I occasionally feel like something is in them and I immediately start use the wipes.  Until the doctor gets the drop approved, you might want to try this and see if it helps you.  Good Luck and you are right there are much worse things in this world.

4

Hi ezytrak,please keep us updated with trials , my life has been hell with this chronic eye condition have tried everything to date no improvment.hopefully will be available soon.rose

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Thanks Ezytrak, this is good to know but I wondered if you felt that the Flarex drops you mention would be better at keeping things at bay than the blethasol, optrex and eye bag that my optician recommended me. The treatment I was prescribed is very fiddly and tiresome and if I could have an actual eye drop instead I would be over the moon, I will of course ask my GP and optician about them as well if you think they are any good, thanks, Fiona

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Updating the new drops from Professor Stephanie Watson , the first round of trials we outstanding , they are now hoping to get funding to proceed to stage 2 trials , as we all know this will take quite a bit of time as i think they are trying to get around $850k , I had suggested setting up a crowdfunding for this. anyway hopefully they will sort out the funding and get these drops available to purchase

7

Hi, interestingly enough I have since found blephagel works remarkably well in keeping the symptoms at bay, I use it twice a day sometimes more often, it is in a large tube so lasts ages and available from my GP so i am much happier now, its a thick clear gel that goes right to the spot the way drops just fail to every time.

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How bad does your blepharitis normally get Fiona?

Mine is debilitating at its worse and I've just recently had a flare up. Literally nothing works for me at all. I'm on antibiotic tablets at the moment and they are sort of keeping it away but it still burns and eyes are swollen.

I'm trying Blephagel and have used it twice a day now for about 3 days. How long did it take for it to start to make a difference for you?

I don't think it's working yet and I think the only thing keeping it away is the antibiotics I'm using. I know somethings take time with blepharitis and I know after 3 days it probably won't make a massive difference.

9

Hi, i don't think anti biotics would work for me but this is such an individual thing, I know from my own experience, using lots of blephagel, several generous applications a day, stops me having outbreaks most of the time, it just works for me, sometimes i get flare ups however, but i would say wiht the blephagel not nearly as often, when it flares up I can only use about six or seven applications of blephagel and then they sting so much with a typical flare up that they can't bear anything, only cold tap water near them, I know some people swear by wet ones but I found although they were effective for a couple of months, so a good run really but after that they ceased to be effective, I have no idea why but i felt they had begun if anything to aggravate the situation, similarly baby shampoo just stung them, and didn't work, and I would not dream of putting anything like manuka honey anywhere near them, sorry, but yeuch!!  I would NOT trust to it at all.  Anyway, i hope you can find something that helps but as i said before and I'm sure you'd agree, well, any illness is very individual and its alarming in a sense how het up people can get if you tell them thier specific trusted remedy doesn't work for you, but needless to say if you tell me the blephagel doesn't work I will feel sorry that it hasn't for your sake but completely understand, with best wishes, Fiona

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Do you know the name of the drop!  Thanks for the information.

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Do you know name of drop?   Not!😖

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I just got back from optomologist appointment. 

Pin addition to 3x a day cleansing with warm water and preservative free eye drops, I had been using WetOnes cut into small squares, wrapped around a Qtip and applied it at the lash lines, top and bottom. 

It seemed to be helping, but she said she thought it might be too strong and is now irritating my eyelids. Under my eyes the skin is raw, red, and very itchy.

She asked if I would try using only a low dose Doxycycline and Avenova for two weeks and then come back and see her so she can see how things are going. She also said she thinks my Blepharitis trigger is allergy related.

Has anyone here used Avenova?

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I have used Avenova after warm compresses twice a day since late July.  It causes no irritation and seems helpful although no cure.  

14

That is strange, avenova is supposed to kil staph spp. Do you have staphylococcous blepharitis?

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What is avenova please, a cream or an ointment or what, need to ask my doctor for some and would help to have a clear idea of what it is firstly.

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According to package insert, Avenoa kills all kinds of organisms, not just staph.  Company said there is an distal vidnce it kills Demodex, too.  I don't have staph.  Use it per doc's recommendation to keep lids and eyelashes clean

17

Fiona, Avenova is a spray that is still available only in US by prescription only.