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I need success stories please!

Posted , 24 users are following.

Gavinium
Gavinium

I was just diagnosed with blepharitis in July and feel as if my life is over. I'm so depressed that it's incurable. What makes it worse is that the opthalmologist acted as if it was no big deal - describing it as dandruff of the eyelids with a simple remedy - baby shampoo.

Here I sit, a month later with the same symptoms. Haven't worn contacts. Haven't worn makeup. And for a 50 year old woman I would love to wear both again.

I did some research on my own and all I found was misery. Chronic cases in which no one ever improved. Symptoms lasting years. I feel as if life as I know it is over. It's affecting my family life as well. My husband doesn't get it. He thinks it's just an eye irritation and I should get on with it.

If I didn't have kids to raise....

Please no more horror stories. I've seen them.

I need to hear of people who live with blepharitis who have occasional flare ups but not constant symptoms.

Please!

3 likes, 148 replies

148 Replies

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  • lee12629
    lee12629 Gavinium

    Posted

    Hi,i take it its anterior,the outter lid and not posterior?
    • lee12629
      lee12629

      Posted

      Posterior involves the glands lining the eyelids,just inside the lids.
    • Gavinium
      Gavinium lee12629

      Posted

      Not sure. She looked at me for two seconds thru a slit lamp and sent me on my way.

      I thought for sure it was pinkeye. I would have preferred it.

  • stevieIPA
    stevieIPA Gavinium

    Posted

    I use blephaclean wipes to clean my eye in the morning and use coconut oil afterwards to rub under my eyes and at the sides but not on the eyelids. Works a treat for me. Should give it a try. Let me know how u get on!
  • lee12629
    lee12629 Gavinium

    Posted

    All I can see are my own posts. Anyway sounds like its the lid,it can go into remission at times if a good cleaning regimen is found. Some have posterior and anterior like lucky me,then you need to add more treatments. Best to find out kind or kinds you are dealing with. If its posterior,ask if its mgd. Xx
    • Gavinium
      Gavinium lee12629

      Posted

      I've got a second opinion on 8/25. I plan to ask more specifically then.

      But I hope either way it's not a fatal sentence of daily discomfort.

    • lee12629
      lee12629 Gavinium

      Posted

      Main thing is to have him check your lid margins both upper and lower,specifically ask if there is any blocked glands,mention the term mgd..you can google this. Sooo many eye docs dont check the glands,and im not talking tear ducts . If you just have lid inflamation and no blockages you can at least have times of remission. Let us know how you do. I know the anxiety and even depression this can caus.. i have them both..but maybe you caught it early enough and will have very good results. Another thing to ask about is the use of the antibiotic doxyciline many find much relief from it,i havnt tryed it yet. Xx
  • bree89142
    bree89142 Gavinium

    Posted

    Hi gavinium,

    I've suffered from blepharitis ( self diagnosed as my doctors in Australia just kept giving me useless eye drops for irritated eyes) for 6 years. Coming to Germany this year they have been really bad so I saw a doctor . He recommended with hot compresses 3 times a day and this eye ointment called dexagent-ophtal 3 times a day. I have been doing it and finally I have clear eyes ! They will never be 100 percent as its not curable and they will always be sensitive but this really did help me. I've gone from Sunglasses always to wearing mascara . Hope this helps you

  • lawra16916
    lawra16916 Gavinium

    Posted

    I am sorry you are feeling so overwhelmed by your current flare. When I was first diagnosed I felt just as you do now. It is a lot to take in, hard to get all the help you need in one place, and hard to be patient while you are dealing with it. However, it does get better if you can stay positive and be flexible enough to keep trying different treatment routines until you find the one that works for you.

    It can be very expensive and frustrating trying products until you find the ones that work for you. What works for some people may not work for you. I will tell you about my experience and I hope it will help you.

    I started with going to my optomologist. She gave me FML gel (a steroid). It helped calm down the worst of it but not all of it and I had to stop taking it because it was building up pressure in my eyes. I was also using preservative free eye drops as needed and washing with diluted Tea Tree Oil shampoo. Things were looking better until The skin around my eyes became raw and irritated by that so I switched to just using warm water and paper towels to wash and used half a sheet on each eye to prevent cross contamination.

    Then Dr. put me on low dose Doxycycline and Avenova prescription eye wash. It is a spray. I would spray in on the end of a Qtip and,apply it along the lash lines only as to not irritate the skin around my eyes. Then I apply a small amount of Aveeno cream on around my eyes. Add to this the daily use of a gel heat mask and eye message after the heat mask to open up blocked oil glands. There is a great short post on YouTube on How to Do Warm Compreses and Lid Massage. It will amaze you how it will help!

    Now, that I have things under control, and it took about 3 months, I have no visible symptoms. I switched to OcuSoft Plus Lid Scrub. I can cut the wipes into small squares that I wrap around the Qtip so that I only wipe the lash lines and I get 3 days out of one packet. Saves a lot of $ and it is working well. I switched to OcuSoft Retaine complete dry eye drops. BEST I HAVE TRIED! And they do not make my eyes blurry. Still do the heat mask and message at least 3 times a week or more if I feel I need it. No more antibiotics.

    It helps if you figure out your triggers. Mine are dust mites and pollen. I don't use makeup but check this site for people who do and use disposable mascara wands. Find a cleaning routine that works for you, do it mornings and before bed, and change your pillow case every other day. You can do it and claim your life back. Patience and fortitude...

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