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Eye care
1

Hi All,

​I was diagnosed with blepharits a couple of days ago after a month of hideous, horrible itching - I've been getting very little sleep and when I did drop off, I woke clawing at my eyes.  The GP who diagnosed me was pretty brutal - gave me a strong steroid drop (wouldn't give me an unpreserved formula ) and told me to learn to live with it as blepharitis is a chronic condition with no let up.

​Seeing a lovely optician on Thursday who has stopped the eye drops for now (fortunately I've only used them twice) as he wants to look at my eyes under a slit lamp (no idea) before selling me anything for a cleaning regime.  Actually I went home and howled after he spent time with me 'cos he was the complete opposite of the GP - so kind and made me feel like he gave a damn.

​The worst aspect is the extreme itching - I have severe atopic eczema (life-long) so assume that's why the itch is so bad, impossible not to rub my eyes which makes them 100x worse. I have no obvious external redness but some itching around the eyelid margin and tearing. 

 Can anyone tell me what to expect in the main. Can the clean eye routine help get the itching under control?  Grateful for anyone's thoughts.

 

2

Eczema is drying flakes patches of skin I was diagnosed with a mild case and given a topical crean, lotion both prescription and antibiotics. But I never had itching just severe blinking and eye closure where my eyes didn't want to stay open and felt heavy.. I suggest trying the wipes in another area besides your eyelids such as a test spot.

3

I never had itching with Blepharitis ,just gritty uncomfortable eyes.   Is the itching in your eyelids? not your eyes themselves?   Do you have gritty eyes...the feeling that there is something in them that wont go away?     Itching doesnt sound like blepharitis but could it be just the eczema in the eyelids?   Have you changed your eye make up lately? An allergy?

4

Hi ELspeth, so sorry to hear you are suffering with bleph. Some doctors are not very sympathetic as they can't offer a cure not really know anything other than whatever they can prescribe, some of which is pretty heavy stuff. As you are atopic you obviously need to be careful what you use. 

I shampoo my my eyes with Johnsons baby shampoo straight from the bottle and then thoroughly rinse. From the first time I did this it helped alleviate the itching. I also use a bleph heat mask for ten minutes which I heat up In The microwave beforehand. After that I wipe each eye separately with a tea tree oil impregnated face wipe, available at Sainsbury's, then use a dry eye drop treatment. Over a period of time I got my bleph under control. I have to keep up the routine though.

after research on line regarding a clinical trial with bleph sufferers and high doses of omega3 which concluded that it showed a significant improvement in the participants bleph, I started taking 6000mg per day which stopped the eyelids building up oil at the base of my eyelashes and completely soothed eyelid twitching and inflammation.

i am also atopic and have allergies. I take fexofenadine daily which helps with chronic rhinitis and itchy eyes and environmental reactions. 

my eye routine is completely absorbed into my prep in the morning and before bed.

fir light sensitivity I have a drive safe coating on my glasses which have made all the difference in coping with lighting in shops, theatre, concerts and night driving.

hope this helps. Bleph affects everyone in different ways...it's very individual. Don't be disheartened and give up a treatment too soon because you don't get an immediate improvement. It can take a little time. 

Read all the posts in this whole forum as you will find a wealth of ideas and support.

good luck

pam

5

Eyelids itching is the worst part of Blepharitis in my opinion. It can drive you crazy until you find a way to control it and get your life back. For me, wipes with Benzethonium Chloride do the trick if used 3 to 4 times daily. I also mix 3 drops of tea-tree oil with a dimes worth of my regular cleanser when washing my eyes and face. It also helps keep everything under control.

Good luck.

6

Try to relax...there is hope for a maintenance regimen...you just have to try a few different ones to find what works for you.

Try taking an antihistamine tab...5 or 10 mg like zyrtec, or any generic cetirizine hydrochloride tab to take care of the itchy eyes symptom...becauce the less you touch your eye the less likely you will be to cross contaminate them.

Get some O usoft foam, or wipes if you cannot fi d the foam, and use every day to wash your eyelids when the symptoms start to dri e you nuts.

Start each day with a long shower letting the water with closed eyes wash away night time accumulation of crsty residue on your eyelashes, use a drop of baby shampoo on closed eyes to aid in completely cleaning eyelids. Dab eyes dry every time you shower or wash them with separate paper towels.

Get Refresh eye productz...gel drops for freauent use during tbe day, nighttime gel for overnight use to get quality sleep.

If you get flaky eyelids or under eyelids, or in the corners of your eyes, use vaseline or the nighttime Refresh to alleviate drying and flaking.

Do the warm, wet, soft cloth compresses that everyone you see will recommend...this helps with inflammation.

THE MOST I.PORTANT THING I DID WAS TO TAKE OMEGA3 SUPPLEMENTS AS WELL AS FLAXSEED OIL CAPS AND PRIMROSE OIL CAPS, AS IT IS WIDELY THOUGHT THIS CONDITION HAS A HORMONAL IMBALANCE FACTOR THAT RESPONDS TO THESE SUPPLEMENTS.

ALSO, FOR FLAREUPS I USE AZESIE, AN ANTIBIOTIC OPTHALMIC SOLUTION THAT THOUGH EXPENSIVE...WORKS. ITS USED TWO WEEKS ON, ONE WEEK OFF, FOR BEST RESULTS. GO SEE AN OPTHALMOLOGIST, OPTOMETRISTS ARE NOT WELL VERSED ON THIS CONDITION.

GOOD LUCK.

7

Yes an antihistamine will help her either zyertec or loradine generic for Claritin.

8

ITS OCUSOFT WIPES OR FOAM

ITS AZESITE DROPS THAT YOU USE BY APPLYING WITH FINGER, ONE DROP, ACROSS CLOSED EYELIDS, WITH CLEAN HANDS,OF COURSE, ALWAYS WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY BEFORE TOUCHING YOUR EYE WITH THIS CONDITION.

ALSO, CHANGE PILLOW CASE OFTEN UNTIL YOU GET A HANDLE ON THIS.

AGAIN, GOOD LUCK.S

9

Dear Elspeth,

I had that horrible itching too and even infected my other eye. I used a product with Benzethonium Chloride in it at .3% called the Wet Ones hand wipes.

I was desperate and a friend used this ingredient in another product and I could not find that. 

I tore the handwipes (they come in a red box in US) into 8 sections and did each eyelash area twice rubbing across the lashes. I did it 4 times a day for a little over a week and then cut down to 3 times a day after that. A few weeks to a month I cut down to 2 times a day and after a little over 3 moinths it was gone.

Please research and you will find that Staph can be the problem and these wipes can kill Staph. 

People who have sensitive skin cannot use them. If you are not allergic to detergents, fabric softeners etc. you may want to give it a try.

Tea Tree oil kills Staph too and many have posted about that helping.

I do not have it now. I did not start and stop after getting relief. It takes months as deep in the lashes.

Hope this helps you,

Lynda79

10

Thank you lynda79 this regimen has helped so many people actually I flucuate from one to three times a day with the wet ones my eyes get irritated and awith the blepharitis so I go down or up depending on the severity of symptoms I also use eye lubricant after 10 minutes of using the wipes when my eyes receive dryness periodically. I get relief from plain lubricant drops and the blinking eyes and closing subsides. I believe mine is staff going on two on months using the wet ones I feel much better. I believe my eyes itched but I thought it was allergy.. Lynda how long does it take to go in the maintenance phase and is it every other day using wipes then as needed? Still new at this

11

Hi again, I also used wet ones antiseptic wipes as described and they were excellent...until I almost got better and my eyelids reacted to them. They are worth a try.

12

As you can see from all the comments on this,blepharitis can take allsorts of forms [never experienced itching so that is new to me] and likewise it takes all sorts of trials of different stuff and combinations of things before you can get a grip on the horrible problem.   Each person seems to find their own way so dont be disheartened if some things dont work for you...just keep trying all the suggestions.   Personally I use Simple Eye ointment at night and celluvisc 1% eye drops during the day when needed.  Occasionally have to use Rapitil drops to reduce any inflammation.Air conditioning ,central heating and windy weather are the main culprits for inflammation..

 Are you in UK?    Treatments seem to be so varied in what is recommended that most people find they are doing their own research to find something that suits them. Dont give up...there is a lot of advice on this if you search "patient".

13

Dear Michelle,

The last 2 months of the a little over 3 months was 2 times a day. After the 3 months I quit and waited and after a few days it itched and I used the wipes for a couple of days more. One more time it happened and then it was dead.

I did not miss a day during the over 3 months. People seem to quit too soon and it roars back. 

I only use the wipes now if I touch my eyes with dirty hands by mistake or leave mascara on by mistake overnight. I have left some on  and thought it was off.

Don't skip days as this is a problem that will keep coming back and the amount of Benzethonium Chloride is low in the wipes. 

Some have used them 2 times a day and killed it and even had their lashes grow back. 

I do use preservative free  eye drops (water-like) for dry eye. I even use them in the middle of the night when I get up too.

Hope this helps,

Lynda79