Blepharitis - should I be getting creamy discharge?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I have blepharitis, have been diagnosed for about a month but I think I've had it for quite a while on and off and just didn't know what it was. I started treatment about 2 weeks ago.
My eyes are really crusty in the mornings, with quite a bit of dried discharge stuck to my lash lines and usually quite a lot of creamy / stringy discharge following after I've used my hot cotton pads and massaged as much gunk out of them as I can. It also builds up during the day and every so often I'll check a mirror and notice a blob of it sitting in the bottom of my eye or in the inner corner. I know discharge is a sign of infection but is this normal for blepharitis sufferers before I go calling my doctor?
I'm using a hot compress 1-2 times a day (usually twice but some days are long days at uni and being a student I find it extremely hard to get up in the morning and make time for a 10 minute hot compress). I do a thorough hot massage in the morning, followed by lubricant drops, followed by hydromol ointment for the dry skin around my eyes, I'm always applying hydromol throughout the day and sometimes if my eyes are feeling particularly dry I apply drops as well. I always do a hot compress in the evening, another massage and more drops. Am i doing something wrong or is the discharge normal?
0 likes, 11 replies
Sus28 nicforeman
Posted
cleaning my eyes with wet wipes morning and night have helped me greatly
nicforeman Sus28
Posted
Thank you! So glad I found it too it's been helpful so far
have always cleaned my eyes with baby wipes but stopped to use just hot water when I massage them but thank you! Will try using them a bit more often to keep them as clean as possible 
margaret22116 nicforeman
Posted
Using Johnson's baby shampoo to wash my eyelids helped get rid of blepharitis for me. It may sound odd but it was recommended at the clinic I attend for vasculitis which is why I get it in the first place.
nicforeman margaret22116
Posted
A few people on here have mentioned baby shampoo, but the doctor I saw when I went to get it checked out told me not to use it, I don't know if that's just because my eyes were still infected a little at that point. I'll give it a try in a few weeks if I can keep it less severe than it has been recently, thank you!
deborah90927 nicforeman
Posted
After several weeks of misery and a few visits to the opthalmologist, he told me to massage my eyelids (from outer towards inner part of the lid) twice a day with a facial cleanser containing tea tree oil, after the warm soaks. It took about a month, but went away finally and I do it once a day to maintain. I am unfamiliar with hydromol, but I'd be careful of clogging the pores around the lashes(which leads to blepharitis). What I'm using is also a "eye hydrating" therapy and the phone is 1-888-730-7999 if you want to check on it. Good luck!
nicforeman deborah90927
Posted
Haven't heard the tea tree suggestion yet but as with baby shampoo I'll be sure to give it a try in a week or two if I can keep it calm! I'm doing the massages twice a day currently but only with hot water. Just scared of infection or irritating them if I use anything other than water because the doctor I saw at the hospital told me not to use anything else. However I have seen a few people on here ignoring their doctors' advice and trying different things and getting much better results haha so will keep trying carefully
Hydromol is this really gross jelly-like ointment that the doctor told me to use, because the skin all round my eyes is extremely dry but yes I do worry about clogging pores, starting to go back to my orginal moisturiser Zerodouble which is a little lighter.
nicforeman
Posted
deborah90927 nicforeman
Posted
nicforeman deborah90927
Posted
deborah90927 nicforeman
Posted
Sorry, I missed the recent question about the discharge, although I saw it in your original post. I did not have all that discharge like you, so maybe the Hydromol is keeping the eyelids clogged (?). If you decide to try the tea tree solution, maybe you could stop Hydromol for a few days and see whether cleansing alone gets rid of the discharge. The tea tree solution I used had softening agents, so skin was not dry. If that doesn't work, you might have an infection...but usually the eyes are red and irritated too.
Sometimes I think we tend to throw everything we can at these problems when they won't go away, and maybe take the risk of "overtreating." I know I did that on my own after a bit of time. What worked for me, as I learned more about the condition, was to stop everything and start over. I did warm soaks 2-3 times a day, then scrubbed/massaged the lids with the tea tree solution (which helps to wash out the gunk), then just put in lubricating drops (like Thera Tears ---no preservative).
When my eyes became sensitive/tired, I just closed them and put soaks on again. It took a few weeks, but this finally worked for me....it takes a lot of patience (and self-control!) to stop from trying other things before really giving this a chance because you're so miserable.
nicforeman deborah90927
Posted
Yeah i wouldn't be surprised if it was, it's just difficult because my skin is so so dry, after it's been wet it gets so tight it cracks and it's painful to open my eyes and even after applying moisturiser it just flakes so I'm having to smother creams on which I would imagine is why they're possibly infected, it's a total nightmare haha.
Over the Christmas break though when I have full days to myself I will give tranquileyes a try, will look at ordering some now and hope it comes for when I get home. I definitely worry I'm overtreating, it's just difficult to keep on top of the inflammation and my eyes themselves as well as eczema!
Thanks so so much for your awesome advice though I'm so grateful!