I have had this problem for several weeks and it has got worse not better. The hospital suggested blepharitis and I have been faithfully following the cleaning regime but these are the symptoms. It started with constantly watering eyes, now my eyelids and lowerlids are sore and swollen (looks awful), slightly itching and slightly sticky in the morning but only recently. Is this blepharitis as the nurse suggested and will the symptoms improve or do I have to put up with them as it is a chronic condition so I am told?
Hi Jo
It sounds to me like Blepharitis. I know it sounds like there is no light at the end of the tunnel but you will get control of it. Do keep up the cleaning and try the heat pack I get great relief from that. Keep trying different things until you find what works for you. This is what I use.
Microwave heat pack
Hylo forte drops every day
Maxitrol drops when flare up
Maxitrol ointment when flare up
Bicarbonate of soda for cleaning
Good luck with it.
Janet
Hi Jo, Sorry you are suffering so much, I and others on this forum know exactly what it is like to have sore red sticky eyes. There is light at the end of the tunnel,
but it does take time to sort out what works for you. What cleaning regime have you been advised to do? Janet has listed things you can try. I can especially recommend bicarb for cleaning I changed over to this from baby shampoo a few months ago and the improvement is considerable. The microwave heat pack is
recommended by many and they swear by it although It did not work for me. You can get one on line. Make sure you are thorough and regular with the cleaning as this is the key. It is a chronic condition although some on here say they have cured it so de read all the posts. You can control it though. Good luck and let us know how it goes. There is a lot of advice on this forum so always ask any questions you may have. Carol
Dear Jo,
I was able to kill the Blepharitis. If you are not allergic to shampoos, detergents, handwipes, fabric softeners or lanolin you may want to give it a try.
A friend used a facial scrub with Benzethonium Chloride in it and killed her Blepharitis. When I went to buy the product it had been reformulated so I looked online to see what else had that in it and found WET ONES, antibacterial handwipes, had Benzethonium Chloride in them.
I tore each wipe into 8 sections and cleaned each eyelash area and eyelide margin. I did it 2 times. I used a total of 8 sections (wrapped around fingertip) each time and did it 4 times a day for a week or little more. After that, I went down to 3 times a day as eyes felt so much better. After a month, I went down to 2 times a day for 2 months. Some people who work did it only 2 times a day and worked for them.
Honjon, on this site, used the wipes in the UK with Benzalkonium Chloride in them and had similar results. Both of these are Quats. Blepharitis can be caused by staphylococcus. These Quats kill staphylococcus.
Found this information out after I killed it.
There is more info if you are interested posted on this site discussing this. There is a little machine BlephEx that cleans the same areas as the wipes and uses Tea Tree oil.
Hope this info gives you some hope.
Lynda79
Hi Jo,
I have only used the wet one wipes, 4 times a day, and I can see improvement. I'm realizing that I've probably had blepharitis for a long time, in a mild way: reddish eyelids, flaky eyelash border, "dry" flaky eyelids and sudden "dirt" in my eye sensations along with blurry secretions that I blamed on allergies and contacts. After what was diagnosed as a bacterial conjunctivitis and a messed up immune system response because of Celiac Disease, my eyelids just went south. I tried antibiotic creme to now avail and out of desperation sought my symptoms in internet and found this. I now have a stock of wet ones in my bathroom. It just feels good and l think it's working! I gave contacts and make-up a break although I have used both twice during the 3 weeks of wet-ones treatment and I can see my eyes getting better little by little. They haven't cleared out immediately, but the "infection" seems to reduce from the whole lid to spots in it, to stye-like pimples, to nothing. Hang in there!
Hi Jo,
Deepest sympathies - I know what it's like. I had this condition for 4 months and felt like there was no end in sight (pardon the pun).
To cut a long story short I ended up on an antibiotic called Doxycycline which has changed my life. I've only been on it for 3 weeks and already I feel like a different person.
I tried all the remedies, from homeopathic through to the Wet Wipes but nothing worked. A word of caution - some people have an extreme allergic reaction to the Wet Wipes so be careful with following this advice. It clearly says on the box not to get in the eyes for good reason!
I'm a bity grumpy that the eye specialist at the hospital waited for so long to give me this particular antibiotic but he seemed to think it was a last resort. However it cleared it up within 2 weeks. I also used 0.1% hydrocortisone twice a day (and very sparingly) on my lids which stopped the insane itching and reduced the swelling. It is not recommended that you use this for long term though - I only used it for a week while the antibiotics were kicking in.
I also wore no makeup and put 100% pure Vitaman E oil on my eyes at nights (after the hydrocortisone had settled in) which helped moisturise.
I hope this helps. All the best - as I've said before you wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy. Cheers, Sophia
PS The ingredient Benzathonium Chloride or Benzaklonium chloride which Lynda says kills the blepharitis is used in many eye drops as a preservative which is a much safer option than using the Wet Wipes which contain perfumes and other additives which can cause even greater irritation. Good luck!
Thank you everyone for your kind advice. I use the heat pad, will get some wet ones and change to bicarbonate from baby shampoo. janmin are the drops prescription or over the counter?
Dear Jo,
The meds that use Benzalkonium Chloride as a preservative use .01%. The wipes in the US are .3% Benzethonium Chloride. The problem is not in the eyes but on the eyelashes and eyelid margins as the BlephEx treatment shows.
I even asked the doctor why the antibiotics were not put on the lashes (I used antibiotics 3 times in the eye)? He said some gets on the lashes.
As for Doxycycline it does work on Blepharitis. There were 2 doctors who told me they do not know why it works.
I found a dental application using Doxycycline and it has a long lasting effect on the gums on anaerobic bacteria which is staph.
I think Doxycycline if applied topically would kill the Blepharitis.
It works because it disrupts at the cell level much like the quats do.
I have given the info to several doctors.
Just my research has led me down that path.
Hope this offers some hope.
Lynda79
They are prescription Jo.
Jo I forgot to mention do ask doctor about antibiotics like doxycycline if things don't improve. I can't take them for other reasons but I know people do say they work well. I would be interested to know how you get on with the Bicarb instead of baby shampoo. Good luck and all the best.
Carol
Thank you Libralady and Linda and Janmin. Just been to Boots and got everything you have suggested except the Doxycycline for which I have to have a prescription and will start all of this when I get home tonight. i am very grateful for your advice, all of you, makes me feel less upset about it. Will post how I get on.
Good luck Jo. I think knowing that you are not the only one makes a huge difference. Do post your progress .
I have had a flare up this week and will be getting maxitrol today. Fingers crossed that I get the same results as last time!
Hi Lynda,
I'm curios as to what is the dental application that you found that has the doxycycline. I'm asking because coincidentally with the super flair up of blepharitis I had some aftas in my tongue, nothing dramatic but annoying enough. and it keeps happening I'm wondering if this might help and if I can get it or ask my dr. for it.
Thanks as always for all your goodwill research!
Dear Veronica,
Here it is:
Dental Information
Please note: Anaerobic includes staphylococcus species
1In vitro testing has shown that Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, and Fusobacterium nucleatum, which are associated with periodontal disease, are susceptible to doxycycline at concentrations ≤ 6.0 µg/mL.2 A single-center, single-blind, randomized, clinical study in 45 subjects with periodontal disease demonstrated that a single treatment with ATRIDOX® resulted in the reduction in the numbers of P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, C. rectus, F. nucleatum, Bacteroides forsythus, and E. corrodens in subgingival plaque samples. Levels of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were also reduced after treatment with ATRIDOX®. The clinical significance of these findings, however, is not known. During these studies, no overgrowth of opportunistic organisms such as Gram-negative bacilli and yeast were observed. However, as with other antibiotic preparations, ATRIDOX® therapy may result in the overgrowth of nonsusceptible organisms including fungi. (See PRECAUTIONS)
Pharmacokinetics
In a clinical pharmacokinetic study, subjects were randomized to receive either ATRIDOX® covered with Coe-Pak™ periodontal dressing (n=13), ATRIDOX® covered with Octyldent™ periodontal adhesive (n=13), or oral doxycycline (n=5) (according to package dosing instructions). The doxycycline release characteristics in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), saliva, and serum were evaluated.
Doxycycline levels in GCF peaked (~1,500 µg/mL and ~2000 µg/mL for Coe-Pak™ and Octyldent™ groups, respectively) 2 hours following treatment with ATRIDOX®. These levels remained above 1000 µg/mL through 18 hours, at which time the levels began to decline gradually. However, local levels of doxycycline remained well above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) for periodontal pathogens (≤ 6.0 µg/mL)2 through Day 7. In contrast, subjects receiving oral doxycycline had peak GCF levels of ~2.5 µg/mL at 12 hours following the initial oral dosing with levels declining to ~0.2 µg/mL by Day 7. High variability was observed for doxycycline levels in GCF for both oral and ATRIDOX® treatment groups.
What I got from this is that Doxycycline applied topically reduced the anaerobic bacteria (Staphylococcus Species) just like the wipes did.
It took several months but the wipes did kill the Staphylococcus. Antibiotics may take less time judging from the dental application of Doxycycline.
For those who cannot use the wipes, this may be something to look into. A chemist or Dr. should be consulted as to the amount for the eye.
These wipes did not go into the eye. This antibiotic would not go into the eye. Just put on the eyelashes to kill the Staphylococcus (review of Ophthalmology on-line
If a patient has extremely mild meibomian gland disease, then hot soaks and scrubs are all she recommends. If patients have mild-to-moderate disease, she adds AzaSite rubbed into the lid margins twice a day, which is an off-label use. “Patients put one drop of AzaSite on one index finger, rub it between both index fingers, and then rub it on the four lid margins, where the eyelashes dive into the skin on the top of the eyelid wall,” she says.)
There are doctors like this one online who place the antibiotic on the eyelashes.There are other antibiotics that work in the same manner to disrupt the cell. I looked into Doxycycline as it works on Blepharitis internally. I took it and it did help Blepharitis.
Hope this info helps you.
Lyndaa79
Thanks Lynda! I'll check with my dr/dentist. I generally try to avoid antibiotics so I'm happy that the wetones seem to be working for me. I perfectly understand that this is an eyelid issue and I am using them on the skin around the eye and to the eyelid/eyelash margin. It may be drying my skin a bit, but nothing more and for the first time in YEARS my eyelids are not reddish, I was so used to it that I thought it was like natural "eye shadow". I'm certain that perseverance and discipline, along with the miraculously precise formula of the wetones are working for me. I may try the topical antibiotic on my mouth if the aftas keep coming back, but other than that, I'm very grateful for this forum!
Take care,
Veronica
Hi Jo,
It could be blepharitis but also sounds like it could be an allergic reaction to something? Have you started using a new cream/makeup/washing powder? The fact that your eyes are sticky suggests that you may well have an infection, now. Things shouldn't be getting worse if you're using the right treatment so I'd go back to the doctor's if I were you. My eyes went from bad to worse because I listened to the first consultant I saw who said I'd just have to put up with the symptoms as it's a chronic condition. I'm sure allergies started the problem but my eyes became more susceptible to infection because my immune system was compromised. Ask for a second opinion, Jo.
I am getting down about this now. Sore and swollen eyelids, big lines and bags under my eyes with sort of red stripes of sores. Tried wet ones, baby shampoo, heat pads the Opatanot drops and non preservative lubricator s, heat pads massage and boiled water and bicarb Nothing is improving, today it's worse, what on earth can I do?
Hi Jo, Sorry to hear there is no improvement. Two things it does unfortunately take time to see and improvement, I know only too well.
Each time I have a flare up it takes about 2 weeks and increased regime to see it improving. Second what do you mean by red lines of sores? I think you should go back to GP and ask again to be referred to opthalmologist again or maybe dermatology dept. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I do know how you feel. Perhaps someone else on the forum can offer some advice. Carol
Hi Jo,
Just occurred to me do you have skin problems facial or scalp. I just wonder because I in the past have had seborrehic (wrong spelling) dermatitis and rosacea both of which can effect the eyes. Rosacea in particular can affect just the eyes, just the face or both. My face cleared up after menopause but I had no eye problems to speak of at this time. Rosacea in more common in females especially fair skins. It is often called the celtic curse. Some thing to consider.
Sorry can't be more helpful. Carol