1. Community
  2. Eyes
  3. Blepharitis

Desperate for some insight into Blepharitis

Posted , 6 users are following.

jade00028
jade00028

So around March 27th onwards I have been in and out of dr's. I first went as i had dry eyelids and sore eyes and they told me I had dry eye syndrome, I used hypromellose for a while and seemed to ease, then in around week later my eyes were swelling and became extremely dry on the lid and very very itchy and uncomfortable and I felt I may have an infection, I returned to the dr's and they gave me antibotic drops, which did not work, as I gather now my eyes were never infected, my eyelids didnt respond to vaseline (something else they recommended for the dryeness) and so I returned and they gave me chloramphenicol ointment which is supposed to go in the eyes but they told me to use it on my dry itchy eyelids. Anyway, that worked, and I was hopeful that whatever was going on was allll over, but I was wrong, it eased for a few days at the most and then my eyes became more painful in different ways, they started to almost sting/burn around the eyes and i noticed my eyelashes were falling out and becoming misdirected, I was then FINALLY diagnosed with Blepharitis, still unsure which kind as I havent been told, I have trolled many forums as what the dr's have advised me (baby shampoo and cotton pads and hydrating drops) simply didnt do a thing, I have ended up spending so much money on different things, up to date, I have used hot compresses, cold compresses, Blephasol, baby shampoo, vitamin e oil, coconut oil and lumecare wipes and i am also taking omega 3 tablets and have begun using optrex multi action eyewash. 

I am unsure of what worked best for me, all I can say is that definitely not the baby shampoo which just made my eyes sore, blephasol was the first actual blepharitis specific treatment I used and I do think it has helped, the lumecare wipes were more gentle and soothing but I am not sure how much help they were, I am still using coconut oil on my face and lids as i feel it is keeping the skin moisturised after all the products. 

BUT, I AM IN DESPAIR. I have been to the drs again and they cannot help me, I am rarely losing lashes, I have no swelling or redness or itchy/dryness anymore, apart from fairly puffy eyes underneath particularly in the morning, but i still have this stinging burning sensation, i cant describe how it feels, it is uncomfortable and constant and i have no idea how to treat that specificially, i have had an eye test and was told they cannot see a problem with my eyes apart from maybe a few clogged lands, which means (i assume) there is barely any trace of the bacteria that causes bleph, but now im confused about what is NOW wrong with my eyes if theres no sign of infection. 

If anyone knows anything about this pain please let me know! I'm getting desparate. I have heard things about the wet ones wipes, which are the only thing i havent resorted to as i fear i will have a reaction, but i do have the UK be fresh kind, and will use them if recommended for this. 

thanks!

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

Next
  • lee12629
    lee12629 jade00028

    Posted

    Hi jade,i feel for you,i have both kinds of bleph although most of the time i can hide the anterior outer kind. Sounds like you probably have both also as you mentioned clogged glands. I get the eye irritation also,you must have dry eye as according to my doc,if you have clogged glands you have dry eye. My vision blurs on and off all day. I have all the symptoms of both,some days arent bad,others are anxiety ridden. I think spring allergies arent helping either. I havnt tryed everything yet..here are a few ideas you might ask about. Cleredex wipes,in case your bleph is caused by demodex mites,doxycilin which is often prescribed and has helped many with bleph. Frankly i think anything greasy on the lids will only agravate it as i would think it might clog glands more. I realise the lids can get dry with all the washing,my son had a brief occurance of bleph,he got it under control immediately, it doesnt bother him anymore which makes me think he was misdiagnosed. It was too fast and never came back,he was told eucerin calming cream for the dryness. Id read the label first before useing it. I would go back in and have them examine you inner lids for the posterior bleph,specifically called mgd. So many doctors dont bother to even look for it. Get the tear break up time test for dry eye. Im still struggling too,best thing is keep your lids clean,especially along the lid margin. Youtube has great vids on how to correctly clean your lids etc. Keep us posted. I know it gets depressing,every day is different. Also can be anxiety produceing. You arent alone. ask about the Doxy. Xx
    • jade00028
      jade00028 lee12629

      Posted

      Thank you for responding! Yeah I have a feeling I might have both kinds too, last time I went which was last week the dr did look into my eyelids with a torch ( the first to actually do that) and said he didn't see a problem and when I had my eye test they did the tear break up test and told me it seemed fine and that my eyes didn't appear to be particularly dry! This is why I'm in so much despair, I essentially just keep getting told they don't see anything when I can feel something is definitely wrong or it wouldn't hurt. I'll have a look online for those wipes, I've now started on ocusoft plus as of yesterday if they do nothing I will try the ones you suggested, I'll discontinue use of the coconut oil on my eyelids in case it is causing more of a problem, I'm gonna go back to the dr on Tuesday and ask about doxy! Although I'm not hopeful they'll give me anything as like I said I just keep getting told my eyes look fine and so they don't prescribe anything, the only thing the dr said to me last week was actually clean my eyes LESS???? I thought are you mad?! But he said over doing it may be causing the pain I'm experiencing, so out of curiosity I'm cleaning twice a day rather than three to see if cutting down helps, I'm very doubtful but gotta try. Currently my routine is waking up in the morning I wash my face with neurogena visibly clear facewash making sure to wash my eyelids as it has the chemical in it that is supposed to be good to get rid of bleph, then I use the eye wash and cleanse my face with vitamin e oil, avoiding my lids. Then i use a hot compress, and when my eyes have cooled a little then I'll use an ocusoft wipe all over my eye, and I essentially repeat the process at night using compresses cold and hot throughout the day to relieve pain briefly, definitely depressing, as someone with an extensive collection of the makeup not touching it in over a month is horrible especially for confidence, thank you for empathising I'm finding that people don't really if like with me symptoms are no longer obvious xxxx

    • lee12629
      lee12629 jade00028

      Posted

      Well,my regular eye doc never mentioned bleph,and said my tear break up test was normal,actually it wasnt bad,so he didnt mention dry eye,but i imagine those numbers can vary even by the minute if glands are blocked. If it keeps up seek a second opinion,thats the only way i found out anything,the second doctor. Like i said,if there are clogged glands theres bleph,honestly some doctors are clueless. It gets so expensive. Also another thing to consider is occular rosacea,even if you dont have facial redness,you can still have it,i wonder if i might. If it is that i guess some on here have been told warm compresses are the worst thing you can do,frankly,the heat often irritates my eyes more. Maybe a dermatologist isnt a bad idea.
    • jade00028
      jade00028 lee12629

      Posted

      Oh I see, well that's concerning haha, before my eye test i informed the dr i was told i had blepharitis and thats why i was there, so i would like to think he looked for the right things but really who knows, he didnt seem too concerned about the clogged glands by indicating there were few, but obviously a few is still too many, oh i know ive barely had anything of any help from a dr yet. I had considered that but havent specifically asked if i may have it, the hot compresses give me relief (i think) but im trying to switch to cold more often as i have a feeling using the heat as much as i was previously has left the lines i have under my eyes, but again thats just guesswork, from what ive read theres a lot of overlap between bleph and occular rosacea, how would i even go about speaking to a dermatologist about this? My concern about my eyes in terms of dryness is, when i use eye drops i.e hypromellose it actually just stings and leaves them feeling irritated, and that didnt happen when i first began using them. 

    • lee12629
      lee12629 jade00028

      Posted

      Well,heres another thing ive ben told sometimes drops can make dry eye worse either because it has a preservative or because it strips the oil layer from the eye,making it dryer. In order for him to check the lids he should be pressing them to see how clogged the lids are,the quality of the oil etc.
    • jade00028
      jade00028 lee12629

      Posted

      I see, but if not drops what can help dry eyes? I will ensure the dr does that on tuesday. Thanks for the tip
    • lee12629
      lee12629 jade00028

      Posted

      I think the main thing is to try and get the right balance of the tear film. I guess drink lots of water,im guilty of not doing that,if you can get the glands open,should help the dry eye. Its so confuseing,i still get dry eye symptoms. Guess have to keep trying things. Some drops might work great after we spend a fortune testing them. There are prescription drops,restasis and another on i cant pronounce or spell. But they run like 400 a month without ins. Awfully high for a little tiny bottle and then you cant say if they work..docs know other brands to try. Some meds caus dry eye,avoid wind,use a humidifier for dry air,sunglasses help etc
    • lee12629
      lee12629

      Posted

      My doctor was on board with the doxy if u want to tryand get them to let u try it,course have to suffer a few months first trying fish oil etc. Ugh. He looks at my lids when i go in,says i have excellant control,just because at the time i have no visible symptoms,believe me,i do not have it under control,eyes get irritated,glands get clogged etc gad.
    • jade00028
      jade00028 lee12629

      Posted

      It is so annoying isnt it just because the symptoms arent obvious doesnt mean theres nothing wrong! im definitely going to ask about the doxy. Most days I drink at least a litre of water, i have some hycosan drops i used once but didnt bother with again will try to give them another chance 
  • lynda79
    lynda79 jade00028

    Posted

    Dear jade,

    I was able to kill the Blepharitis on my lashes using antibacterial handwipes, Wet Ones.

    Several people have said that their lashes grew back. One girl said she had Blepharitis for over 20 years and hers grew back. 

    I found it to be a Staph infection on the lashes.

    If you are not allergic to detergents, fabric softeners or have sensitive skin you may want to give it a try.

    The ones I used are sold in the US and can be bought online. They have .3% Benzethonium Chloride in them. This kills Staph. 

    They are in a Red box.

    Hope this helps,

    Lynda79

    • jade00028
      jade00028 lynda79

      Posted

      Hi Lynda, 

      I have the UK wet ones I read about people using the same ones they're in a blue packet, I have tested them on my arm and cheek and have not had a reaction but of course the eye area is a totally different story, what did you do with the wipes when you used them? Im nervous to try as I do have quite sensitive skin, but in saying that none of the products ive tried so far have given me a reaction, and the chemical in the wipes is also in a face wash im using and eye drops and wash i use so i doubt im allergic to that either. 

       

    • lynda79
      lynda79 jade00028

      Posted

      Dear Jade,

      You should try and order online the Wet Ones in the Red box. That is what I used and cannot vouch for the blue ones. Some had mentioned they were harsh.

      Benzalkonium Chloride is what was in the solution for my ears when I got them redone. I got an infection in one ear lobe. I kept trying the solution they gave me but could not cut it. 

      When I read what was in it (Benzalkonium Chloride and water), that is when I started to use the Wet Ones, front and back, on my ear lobe and did not take out the earrings either.

      Just a couple of days did the trick.

      Benzalkonim Chloride is used as a preservative in eye products at a low dose. For example, .01% in my Dad's Steroids for the eye.

      It would only take a week or two to get them online.

      I tore them into eight strips and wrapped one around my fingertip. I rubbed as I went along the eyelashes. I used a different strip for each eyelash area. I then went back and did it again. After a week of 4 times a day I went down to 3 times a day.

      Some have only used them 2 times a day and have had their eyelashes grow back in. 

      Hope this helps you,

      Lynda79

    • jade00028
      jade00028 lynda79

      Posted

      Right okay, Ive looked on amazon and they're 35 pound Haha and I can't see them on eBay, how did you get them?

      Thanks for the advice x

    • lynda79
      lynda79 jade00028

      Posted

      Dear Jade,

      I live in the US. Do you know anyone there that can mail you some? Others on this site have bought them online. I just don't remember where they went to order them.  You could google the info, perhaps.

      I hope someone will answer that question for you that lives near you.

      Sorry,

      Lynda79

       

    • jade00028
      jade00028 lynda79

      Posted

      ah okay, no unfortunately i dont, thank you anyway will keep looking x
Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.