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Best eye cream for ocular rosacea?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Mirandamolly
Mirandamolly

Hi everyone

I'm 57 and have recently been diagnosed with blepharitis after having 2 chalazions- one severely infected for which I took antibiotics, a stye and an ingrown eyelash.

I also have sebhorric dermatitis and rosacea- and was told the blepharitis could well be related to either/ both- but was given no proper guidance, treatment or advice.

I'm seeing a new( hopefully better) opthalmologist this week, as I suspect I do have ocular rosacea.

I have been doing the compresses , massage and lid washes- but quickly realised the heat and baby shampoo / eye wash preparations were severely irritating my eyes and the skin around my eyes.My eyes were not sore at all before using all the lid cleansing chemicals - now they are super sensitive to anything- even the QV moisturiser and eye cream I have been using for years!!!Anything that gets near them stings and burns.

So....... now I am wearing no make up, no moisturiser at all above the cheek bone- warm only compresses x2 a day 3 minutes only, gentle wash of top lids with dove sensitive soap, and bottom lids with organic cotton buds and warm water.

3 questions--

1. My eyelid skin top and bottom is so dry and wrinkly with no moisturiser- can anyone suggest what they use and how they use it so their sensitive eyes don't sting and get irritated????

2. For years I used Vaseline as an eye cream / eye makeup remover - I'm wondering if this clogged my glands causing the chalazions/ blepharitis. Any opinions?

3 Does anyone live in Sydney and know of a good opthalmologist who knows about treating blepharitis/ ocular rosacea?

Thanks so much for your help.??

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Gavinium
    Gavinium Mirandamolly

    Posted

    Hi!

    I don't see a lot of posts regarding ocular rosacea but wanted to let you know I am suffering with same.

    Originally diagnosed with blepharitis 7/21. Told to do baby shampoo 2x day until symptoms clear then daily afterward. I have no problem with doing that if the symptoms would just clear up. Argh. I went for a second opinion and that's when I was told I had rosacea on my cheeks and that was probably the source of my eye problem.

    Wasn't pleased to walk in with one chronic disease (blepharitis) only to walk out with two (adding in rosacea).

    He told me that the treatment is the same. Keep going with warm compresses and lid scrubs. For at least a month.

    So frustrating.

    I just wish I knew when it would go away. I thought these things came in "flares..."

    If so, when is it going to go into remission?

    • Mirandamolly
      Mirandamolly Gavinium

      Posted

      Hi Gavinium,

      Thanks for your reply.

      I went to the 3rd opthalmologist, who I thought was really good. She examined my eyes and eyelids thoroughly( which the previous 2 opthalmologists did not do)- and concluded I did have mild blepharitis related to hormones( or lack of- menopause/ the eyelid glands are hormone dependent) and I did NOT have ocular rosacea. She said people with rosacea are more likely to get blepharitis- but it is not ocular rosacea unless there is inflammation on eye surface- she checked for this with special eye drops.

      Interestingly- she said eyelid scrubs can cause more problems than they cure- and are only necessary with blepharitis if u have obvious scales or crusts. I don't so thank God no more eyelid scrubs for me. She said she only recommends warm water and cotton buds as anything detergent based will irritate the eye and also cause eye dryness.

      She recommended I do 5 minutes warm compress once a day, then a lid massage using cotton buds to massage oils up through glands.

      No eye makeup except on special occasions- then wash off well. No oily/ greasy moisturisers near eyes.She agreed Vaseline could cause gland blockage and chalazion s.And lubricating preservative free eye drops 3 times a day.

      Am sharing this info in case it helps anyone- I know how hard it is to deal with blepharitis. So far so good- my eyes are are a million times better- with me the treatment( eyelid scrubs) was worse than the disease!

    • Gavinium
      Gavinium Mirandamolly

      Posted

      Very interesting!

      You know, it's true. First two ophthalmologists examined me for 15 seconds under a slit lamp looking at the tear ducts etc.

      No eyelid manipulation, no eye drops.

      Might be a time for a third opinion. With special instructions for a more thorough exam.

      How long had u been doing the lid scrubs by the time you got to the third doctor?

      Do you think you might have cleared it by the time you went to see the third doc?

    • Mirandamolly
      Mirandamolly Gavinium

      Posted

      Im really grateful I got a 3rd opinion. From what I gather a lot of opthalmologists are not interested in dry eyes/ blepharitis- don't examine us properly and just give blanket advice of lid scrubs, hot compresses etc with no detail. It is best to research whether a particular opthalmologist has an interest in blepharitis before u see them.

      As far as I gather- it is important to know WHY u gave blepharitis, as the treatment will differ. For example- if u gave sebhorric dermatitis blepharitis u would likely have scales/ crusts and need to do lid scrubs and use drandruff shampoos, or if u had ocular rosacea hot compresses may not be advised as they could increase inflammation.

      The good opthalmologist I saw put in drops to test for inflammation/ abrasions(?) and other eye drops to check level of eye dryness- she also flipped back all eyelid margins to look under and thoroughly examined the oil ducts.

      I had been found the lid scrubs for about 6 weeks before I saw the 3rd opthalmologist- so I guess it is possible that any crusts/ scales had been removed before I saw her. I asked her this, and she said I would know if I had crusts/ scales as they would be obvious, and I never did.The proof will be in the pudding so to speak- all I know is my eyes are doing great on the current regime- if I get another chalazion though I will re evaluate.My blepharitis is gland dysfunction due to menopause- so heat and massage is enough to help the glands function properly.

      Hope this info is of help to someone.

    • Gavinium
      Gavinium Mirandamolly

      Posted

      Your info certainly helped me.

      I just turned 50. Perhaps my situation is similar to yours.

      Hope things continue well for you!

  • j80023
    j80023 Mirandamolly

    Posted

    Hello..I could of written your post..same symptoms with seborrhea, rosacea, overactive oil glands, blepharitis, chalzion, crusty eyelids, etc & yes, baby shampoo procedure irritation...My opthmalogist recently prescribed a new RX for the eyelids.. It's a eyelid and lash hygiene spray called Avenova (made in the USA)..

    It is a prescription & directions to use twice daily. I had significant improvement after 3 weeks. At the same time I took the antibiotic Amoxicillin 500 mg, twice daily for two weeks. Although I didn't have an infection, the antibiotic calms the inflammation. What a difference, my eyes look almost normal. I'd avoid moisturizer on the eyelids..sorry, but perhaps if your condition improves you could try something recommended by a dermatologist.

    For Seborrhea of scalp, I use Shampoo, Ketoconazole 2%. The 2% formula requires a prescription.

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