Blepharitis Experience

Yes, definately according to doc, I recognised the presciption ointment I was given from this thread.

Happy new year.  I woke tthis morning with a bit of a hangover!!  I couldn't be bothered to take a shower so thought I would have a rest from it, now my eyes are playing up - 8 hours after rising, so I'm going to have a shower now!  Speak later.

Oh, too bad.  This condition is a real pain, isn't it.  Can't even have a Happy New Year.....lol

Hi again, the shower did the trick, 20 minutes later my eyes were OK again.  Today I showered and they have been fine.  Out of interest, I'll try showering for a few days but using something other than Capasal to test whether that is really the solution or a proper wash under running water is the 'cure'.

Yes - that would be good to know.  If it's ok to just shower without the capasal - I'm sure you would like that better.  I wish that was that easy for me but I'm afraid mine is a little further advanced to my dismay.  I have been fighting this for years.  I used to have excessive tearing caused by the blepritis.  I went to a Tear Duct Doctor and he did Tear Duct Surgery in one eye and put a tube in the other eye.  He took one tube out of the surgical eye and I have just a little tearing still.  The other eye he left the tube in and that is the eye that is giving me trouble with the blurring.  I'm thinking If I had the tube taken out - then maybe my vision would come back.....But if I take it out and the vision doesn't get better - I would have all the tearing and I would be back to Square one.....What's your thought on that.

 

Hi again, Well a chalazion and a cyst are the same thing really, a hard lump in the eyelid, usually upper, they are like an inward facing boil and caused by the crud that gathers in and around the eye when you have blepharitis.  I don't know if there are chronic and temporary versions of this condition, I do know that if I miss showering with Capasal my eyes begin to become itchy by next day even if washed the conventional way which entails use of a flannel and lets face it flannels can only be used once before they are crud ridden! a shower is far easier.

David - thanks.  I guess I have a different type of blepharitis than you do and from a lot of others, also, that I have read about.  I do not have crud that gathers in my eyes.  I do have some scaling on the eyelids at times.  My main problem is my eyes are so dry until I now have blurry vision.  I didn't have this to start with but through the years it has gotten this way.  I have to use warm pads on my eyes for 5 min. several times a day.  I have a steroid - Tobredex - that I use at different times and an anti-biotic ointment that I use also at different times.  I use comfort drops during the day and I have a Refresh Gel drop that I use sometimes at bedtime.  Right now, I am having a difficult time getting rid of the blurriness in one eye.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Margaret, I find you post particularly interesting.  I have had Blepharitis for years and treated it in a similar way, hot flannels, followed by gentle washing of eyes.  My Ophthalmologist told me not to use any creams anywhere near my eyes, he was excluding anything that he prescribed.  I also have very dry eyes because of my various conditions.  The last time I had an appt., I saw a new Registrar and he changed my prescription for lubricants and gave me VitA-POS to use every night and Hyabak drops to use during the day when necessary.  

My eyes are so much more comfortable.  I read that dry eyes often lack Vit A, which is, I assume, why he gave me the ocular lubricant that contains it.

Dry eye Syndrome makes your eyes blurred.

The eye drops I used to use, had alcohol in them, as a preservative and of course, alcohol is a drying agent.  [If you drink it, it dehydrates, for example]

This young Registrar thought that my previous drops were 'old fashioned'!

 

Thank you Mrsmop for all the good info.  I am very interested in it.  I will look into the Vita-Pos and Hyabak.  I will try anything that might help me.

When you say - hot flannels - what is that?  Does that mean wash cloths?  I am just not familiar with that term.  Thanks so much for your help.  Can you tell me if I have to have a prescription for the two things you mentioned?  Thanks....

Hello Margaret, yes, flannels are wash cloths.

It is possible to buy VitA-POS and Hyabak, or you can have them on prescription.  I found them on Amazon

What country are you in?

I am in the US and live in Texas.  What country are you in?  They advertise the Hyabak tabs.  Have you ever taken those?  If they would help with the dryness, then they might be worth it to take them. 

I am in the UK.  I have seen the Hyabak Capsules on their website but it isn't something I would take

This is what they say: Hyabak Caps is a dietary supplement that can be used instead of or in conjunction with other Dry Eye treatments such as eye drops.

* Hyabak Caps contains Omega-3* and Omega-6 essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals with anti-oxidative properties to help maintain vision.

* Hyabak Caps contain Fish oil with 70% Omega-3 and Borage oil with 22% Omega-6 and are designed to help compensate for the imbalance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 commonly found in UK diets.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking any medications, please consult your GP or Optometrist before use of Hyabak Caps.

Mrsmop - I was looking at how to apply the Vita ointment and I copied and pasted what it said "Apply a small strand of VitA-POS along the lid into the conjunctival sac every day before going to bed. Do not allow the tip of the tube to touch the eye."  DOes this mean that you pull down the lower lid and put a strand along the inside of the eye?  Also, do you use this every night and does it help you any at all?

That's exactly what I do Margaret.  And I use the Hyabak drops during the day, when necessary.

If my eyes get very dry during the day, I use the VitA-POS again.  My eyes are blurred for about 5 minutes or so.

Since I have been using these new drops, my eyes have been very much more comfortable than before.

 

Thank you so much.  I am going to order the Vita-Pos and Hyabak drops and see what happens with their use. The mask I got at Wal-Mart has helped me a lot.  You microwave it for 20 seconds and then leave it on your eyes for about 5 min.  It really is good to do this three or four times a day - depending on how bad your eyes are.  It has certainly helped me.....Thanks Mrsmop for your concern and your help....

A pleasure, Margaret and Happy New Year!