I have had Blepharitis in my right eye for three months straight now...
I have visited my local GP who advised me the only way to 'control' the infection is to use a hot compress against the eye four times a day. I did this religiously for 4 weeks straight - no change or improvement.
I continued with the hot compress and after two weeks I decided to visit Moor Fields Eye Hospital (Europe's leading eye hospital) - they also told me the same thing 'there is no cure'.
My is constantly swollen, red and itchy - it is driving me crazy!
I have had a look at the comments on this forum and a lot of comments write 'WET ONES' reduce the swelling. Is this true?!
Thanks,
Imogen
Do you also clean your eyelids with baby shampoo and water. There are also topical and oral antibiotics that can be prescribed.Xx
Ultimately you will gather an arsenal of tools to control this incurable condition. It took 18 months for me to get my Bleph under control and if I let my cleansing routine slip it soon flares up. I shampoo my eye lashes and lids with Johnsons baby shampoo morning and night, use a microwaveable heat mask directly afterwards for ten minutes then cleanse each eye with a strip of Wet Wipe moving my finger along the strip so I don't use the same area twice. Then I apply Carmellose eye drops for dry eye. If my eyes are uncomfortable during the day I again cleanse with a wipe. (After about a year of using Wet Wipes they started to irritate my eye so in fact I now use ordinary wipes but if I were to have a severe episode of Bleph I'd go back to a Wet Wipes.) it was with Wet a Wipes and Johnsons shampoo that I got the most improvement.
I use use hell eye masks if I am travelling which are heated in boiling water in a thermos cup with the lid on for 10 minutes. Not as good as the microwave heated mask but if I don't have access to a microwave such as in hotels then it's all I can do. I have recently returned from a trip where I had to resort to hot flannels which worked well for a few days. Not sure how it'd be for two weeks...I shall find out later in the year.
like other sufferers I experience light sensitivity. Particularly bothered by the white harsh light in shops, theatre, music venues and when particularly severe I'm discomforted by candle light and other 'pinpoint' light sources. i wear Polaroid sun glasses when I need to but try to keep this to a minimum as it can make eyes too 'dark aware'.
If if I keep up a vigilant routine I am comfortable for a great deal of the time. It's taken all this while (2 years) to get to know my condition. I'm controlling MGD all the time and warding off Bleph episodes too but have got into a routine and getting on with my life.
i wear makeup occasionally when I know I can get away with it.
Dont let it stop you from leading your life as normal. Good luck.
Sorry Imogen....I use Gell eye masks lol
Imogen,
I have up and went to see a private doctor. He properly looked at all my eye surface using a dye and at the lids. He advised:
- no contact lenses
- take flax seed or omega3 capsules
- buy the "flax seed MGD mask" - available on Amazon black and silver eye bag. Use heated twice a day
- massage lids twice a day (there are videos on YouTube which show how)
- use Blephaclean wipes to clean the lids (an especially made version of wet ones, basically)
- vexxol drops (steroid) to heal the damage on my eye x2 a day for 4 weeks
- opatanol drops to keep down redness x2 a day
- hylo forté drops to lubricate x2 a day
I know it's a LOT but after the 4 weeks of vexxol steroid drops my redness had gone down. It's a very long uphill battle 
Good luck!
Hi Pamela,
Thank-you so much for the feedback.
I am in my early twenties and my work in a client facing work environment so having this massive bulge on my eye is rather frustrating!
It seems like such a task to have to do all of this every single day for the foreseable future but I guess that is just like now!
Thanks again,
Imogen
Good idea about heating them in a thermos.
Hi Imogen, I don't know if this is any help but I tried wet ones and agreed they worked for about two months but then the irritation came back just as bad so I now look upon wet ones as a quick fix that wasn't really durable, however I found a daily anti histamine, certain they are called, a really truly enormous help in so far as all I get now is about 20% at most of what the symptoms were before and to control that I use the gorgeous thick blephagel in the handy large tubs, night and morning, sometimes I don't need it, but I swear by this routine, I'm no longer up the wall because of it, so that's what I'd recommend as its stayed off for a good four months, so do try this, works better than anything else I've tried ever, good luck, Fiona
Whoops, so sorry, typo, that's cetrazine the anti histamine are called
I can wear make up now with this combination, ever my special occasion glitter eye shadow with no I'll effects
Thank-you Fiona so is your eye no longer red/swollen?
I have searched 'certain antihistamine' on google no products have appeared!
Thank-you for your feedback, it;s much appreciated.
Do you just eat flax seeds or do you take pills?
Is your eye swollen?
Sorry for all the questions!
It is odd as when I went to Mallorca for two days the swollen area on my eye went down to the point where it looked like my normal eye!
Hi there, sorry it was my predictive text, they're called cetrazine and yes I have absolute faith in my routine now, they are almost 100% clear at all times now. Different things work for different folk but given that I don't feel you could go far wrong with this.
Is the antihistamine ok to use if dry eye is also involved?
Hi Imogen, I also take 6000mgs of Omega3 capsules after reading about the benefits experienced by patients taking part in a clinical trial. I also take Fexofenadine 180mg 1 tablet per day. I have chronic rhinitis so I was taking ceterazine for years before the Bleph kicked in after which my doctor changed me to Fexofenadine.
I havent tried blephagel yet but yet but may in the future if nothing else helps. The Bleph wipes make my eyes swell. It's really a case of seeing what works for you.
Some folk find tea tree oil mixed with another light oil helps dry flaky eyelids and itchy eyelash base, others find a facial steamer soothing.
Different things help at different times. I hope you find your formula soon. Best wishes, Pamela
I have heard there are two different types of blepharitis but a bit mystified myself as to the technical details and what they involve or are defined, I can only assume I have the type of bleph that responds well to anti histamine, sorry I can't be of more help xx
Hi Imogen, I can imagine your discomfort particularly as you are in a client facing environment and feel even more self conscious. try to think of your eye care time as a pampering time. Ten minutes night and morning under an eye mask is a good chance to meditate or think quiet thoughts. I found this a helpful exercise to overcome the anger and resentment I felt at having the condition and not being able to wear makeup. A few additions to my wardrobe helped too lol.
my doctor has also given me fucidin gel to put on my eyelids when necessary.
I dont one go anywhere without a pack of wipes and a few eye drop vials.
Dont nt let this condition undermine your confidence or happiness. X
Hi again, I take Omega3 fish oil capsules which I buy from Holland and Barrett when they have a deal on. I haven't tried flax supplements.
if I follow my routine with the microwave heated mask which is filled with grape seeds I am as near normal as I'll ever be. I stick to grape seed filled masks as I don't know if I'd react to flax seed.
I went away away for a few days recntly and had the bright idea of using a facial steamer instead of my Gell masks. Not successful. Within a day my eyelids swelled and got lumpy and twitched and itched like mad. I'd also forgotten to pack my eye drops. Luckily I could buy the Carmellose eye drops over the counter at Boots pharmacy for £5 ish. As for heat treatment I used a folded clean, hot flannel for ten minutes, constantly reheating it with the hottest after I could stand. It worked. The next morning my lashes were covered in blobs of white discharge and the lumps and swelling were gone. I deduce that the swellings and discomfort were caused by MGD oil back up into the lids and the heat treatment released it. Another lesson learned about my condition.
When end we went to Holland recently my eyes felt completely normal. We were in self catering so had a microwave so my routine was as normal. On return home I had swelling, itching and redness in my left eye for a few days. I put this down to the pollution in our area. Where we stayed in Holland was cleaner air as the cars were mainly electric in the towns we visited.
It hasn't made a difference to me but dry eye is a part of my Bleph so I just deal with it. I think it's a case of suck it and see. Good luck
Hi Pamela, sadly I can't take cod liver oil as the tablets invariably burst in my throat and this causes me to be violently sick, I'm not sure if they would help but fortunately my routine of cetrazine and blephagel is fantastic for me xx