1. Community
  2. Eyes
  3. Blepharitis

I Can Sympathise with you...Here's why...

Posted , 8 users are following.

neil1512
neil1512

I feel for you guys and girls with this blasted Blepharitus.

Im 45 years old, and i've had this condition since I was in kindergarten. Seriously... I have pictures to prove it. When I was in high school they used to call me "brakelights".

The doctors always said "soft scrub with baby shampoo" and then they would get so irritated and red I was stuck in the house for the day.

After I graduated high school , it affected the type of employment I was looking for, no work in buildings with bright florescent lights.

It affected my dating life, but I still managed to have girlfriends.

At one point, about 19 years old, I had decided to move to a nearby city, and commit suicide. I was working on a plan for this , when I met a young lady of 19 years old.

I was upfront , told her my condition, and she told me she never noticed it!

I think she was colour blind because even days when my eyes were blazing red, I would ask her if they looked bad, and she said "they're a little red, but it's not that big a deal"!

2 years later , we were married. We are still married today.

Anyhow, here's what I have been doing for the past 20 years...

At night I take a cue tip and gently rub it, and I mean gently. I can see the crusts coming off. In the morning , same thing.

Then, I use a white makeup pencil and run it along the rim.

After that I use a cover up stick close to my facial skin shade (the cover up stick  looks like a lip stick container) and use my finger to dab it on the red areas. Not a lot, just a little. This makes it look 90% normal.

Now I'm a guy , and using makeup sucks, but I can tell you this has helped me get through enough not to worry.

My next step is to try the wet ones everyone here is talking about.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Can you imagine if that helped, after all these years?!

I feel allergies and general health also play a part in this, as I found out a few years ago I have kidney disease cause by an auto- immune type condition.

You know what? As awful as this is... people have to feal with some pretty awful stuff out there, I kep reminding myself that.

Take care guys, keep your chins up. You are not alone.

Neil

 

2 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • libralady13
    libralady13 neil1512

    Posted

    Hi Neil,  I know what it is like to suffer from blepharitis, I too have trouble with bright lights.  I am so glad that you found something that works for you and that you have a supportive partner.  One thing I would add is that I used to use baby shampoo and found it irritating.  I switched over to bicarbonate of soda solution a few months ago and my eyes have been so much better.  I hope you have success with the wet ones.  I have not tried them.  What I found with using the bicarb and being thorough with the cleaning is that the rims are less red and I no longer have the gritty feeling. They still get a bit sore towards the end of the day but nothing like it was. " cataracts surgeries didn't help but I wish I had ditched the baby shampoo earlier.

    Good luck to you and hope you continue to have a healthy and happy life.

    Carol

  • ranjit41466
    ranjit41466 neil1512

    Posted

    Wet ones started working for me in days. It's now 2 months and i've had zero recurrence. It's hard to believe after all these years of suffering with it. Try them!
  • jeanette43594
    jeanette43594 neil1512

    Posted

    Hi neil

    welcome to the site.It was good you found someone who saw past the red and sore eyes and being supportive thats love!!redface lol I ffound this site by accident and it has been a god send!! I have suffered since 2003/4 no where as long as you or many other eople on this site i am lucky that way.I have been using wet ones and they have made a big difference to my life.I used to use baby shampoo warm boiled about 4 times a day more say you say if you were in  bright light. Somtimes i found the sun sometimes made them sore (or is that just me)?  I always say there is always some one worse off then me!!! I really hope the wet ones work as they have been a god send for me and  i have Lynda79 to thank and honjon on this site.Keep us updated on your progress.rolleyes

  • eileen64__UK
    eileen64__UK neil1512

    Posted

    Hi Neil

    That is so good that you have found a way to cope with it and also a loving partner who cant even notice itwink

    Try the wet ones and let us know how you get on

    Love

    Eileen

  • lynda79
    lynda79 neil1512

    Posted

    Dear Neil,

    You have to make sure you are not allergic to shampoos, detergents, handwipes or fabric softeners. This works (the handwipes) for about 80% of people who do not have allergy problems to quats or lanolin.

    If you are not then there is good news as Jill had Blepharitis for over 20 years and she actually had her eye lashes grow back in. This does kill staphylococcus which can be a cause of Blepharitis.

    Wish you relief soon,

    Lynda 79

  • lori14156
    lori14156 neil1512

    Posted

    Thanks Neil for your insights!  This condition is "irritating" to say the least.  And for me, just when I think I'm winning the battle, it flares up again.  

    I am trying the Wet Ones and find that they are drying out my skin.  I long for a moisturizer, but am afraid to use one.  I see that libralady13 is having some luck with bicarbonate of soda as a cleanser and I am going to try that too.  I have a couple of crusty sections in the corners of each eye that I just can't get rid of.  They seem to subside and then flare up again.  I'm still looking for the "solution" to get rid of this condition once and for all!  Doesn't sound like it's possible, from what I'm reading, unfortunately.

  • neil1512
    neil1512

    Posted

    Well thank-you very much for your support and replies!

    I hope you are all doing well today and feeling positive.

    I bought the wet ones today. Cut off a couple little squares and used them. It felt good to be taking some different action to this pest of a problem, being proactive, instead of a defensive treatment, ...if that makes sense. No stinging at all, but the eyelids are red. They would have been red if I had scrubbed with water, so who cares!  lol

    Thanks to Lynda 79 for bringing this to light, and if it works or not, we are no worse off, right?!

    I'll keep you updated on what happens!

    Have a terrific day!

    .

    • eileen64__UK
      eileen64__UK neil1512

      Posted

      Hi Neil

      Thanks for your update

      That was my attitude as well......they are red now and it might help...if not I'm no worse offbiggrin

      It does feel good to be proactive doesnt it

      Love

      Eileen

    • libralady13
      libralady13 neil1512

      Posted

      Hi Neil, 

      Really hope the wet ones work for you, but as you say if they don't you are no worse off.  If they you don't work for you please do try the Bicarbonate of soda obviously will not work for everyone but if I had not tried I would never have know that it would work for me.  If you do decide to give it a go.  Use around 1/2 teaspoon in a beaker of cooled boiled water and us for cleaning the lids with cotton buds and what I think also helps is a cotton wool make up pad soaked in the solution and wiped over the entire eye lid at the end of cleaning and make sure you massage the lids as well if you have been told your oil glands are blocked and your eyes are dry.  This bit may not apply to you.  You know best what you need.  I know I am singing the praises of the Bicarb

      it is just that it has made such a difference to my eyes I would like others to try as well.  All the best

      Carol

  • neil1512
    neil1512

    Posted

    Well a few days into using the wet ones and there is no doubt an improvement. The crusty stuff is almost completely gone and the redness has gone down.

    I have only been using the wet ones at night though... not in the morning or during the day. The cleaning of the eyelids does make the skin red, they are very sensitive. My job is around people, and I just cant have the problem of irritated eyelids during the day.

    From what I can see, when you have the crusts and bacteria already irritating the skin, and then you go scrub it you have a double whammy.

    They definitely have improved though, and the skin is clean, which is wonderful! This may not be 100% improvement but even 50% better is a lot more than the past 40 years of my life... thanks Lynda (and others).

    I'll keep you updated as to how it goes in the days ahead as I continue using these.

    In the meantime... I have ordered a product called "Blepha Cura". I dont know if any of you have tried it?

    It is supposed to help with eyelid hygiene and inflamation/ redness. I'll let you know if it helps too.

    Looking at the video on BlephEx on YouTube...

    I just dont get it.

    First of all, I can scrub the heck out of my eyelids for free and I dont need a dremel to do it! If I did that, I would come out of the office with cherries for eyes... so I dont know.

    Maybe some of you have tried it? Just looks like a money grab to me... but what do I know...

    OK... take care, have a good one.

     

    Emis Moderator comment: I have replaced the link with a suggested YouTube search term rather than a specific video link. We do not publish these as they are generally commercial sites posting the videos.

  • neil1512
    neil1512

    Posted

    Thanks to Libralady13 ... I will check it out, appreciate it.

     

  • neil1512
    neil1512

    Posted

    Well ... been 3 or 4  weeks. I am using the wet ones once a day at night, and then a half hour later follow up by applying "Blepha Cure".

    The crustiness is about 95% gone which is just lovely...

    No more itching, scratching and rubbing the eyes, which is guaranteed redness.

    The lids are still red in the morning, so I still do apply a little cover- up, but after an hour or so the redness is about 90% gone.

    That's as good as it's gonna get for me and i'll take it.

    Thanks for all the help to those on this site.

    I think to cure it 100%, we need a new environment and foods with no chemicals and pestisides, and a renewed immune system!

    Take care!

Back to top

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.