My 4 year old has blepharitis.

Hi there, I am 17 and have had blepharitis for the past few years. Over this time I have tailored some treatments that work brilliantly. First of all, I would like to say that although it is hard to stay motivated to keep experimenting with different treatments, I promise you that there is a treatment, or combination of treatments, that will drastically help your son. I have found that avoiding any soap on or near the eyes, or even excessive amounts of water in the shower helps. To clean his eyes, wash your hands well, then, with warm water gently rub the skin around his eye lashes and the eye lashes themselves. The more water I use, the more irritated they become... But the main treatment I use, is to apply re-heatable hand warmers to the eyes for around 10 minutes every morning. If you look at what causes blepharitis, it is the oil glands in your eyes that block up for some reason, hence your son's eyes are not being properly lubricated. Heating the oil in your eye lids (using the hand warmers) will make the oil runny, causing them to flow smoothly. After applying heat, gently massage the eyes to move the oil around. If your son finds the hand warmers too hot, of course, wait for them to cool down a little.  

There was a time where I was in despair, looking for ways to keep the blepharitis down, and it is unbelievable how much my eyes, and thus my confidence, has improved over the last year of the same treatment. The most important thing is to reassure and emphasise to your son that his eyes should not stop him from doing what he loves doing. It becomes such a burden when you become a teenager, when your confidence is already so fragile. Don't let him retreat from social events because of this. If he learns this from a young age, it will never bother him. F*ck blepharitis. 

Ivan.

check out all the post on no tears baby shampoo and tea tree oil. Dena

HI crystal, on doctors orders I wash my eyelids and lashes with warm water and undiluted  baby shampoo., followed by heat treatment for ten minutes ( reusable hand warmers described above is good as your son can hold them to his eyes himself). Then I wipe my eyes with eye wipes to clear away any oil and then use dry eye drops. I do this night and morning. For the light sensitivity I'm finding reaction glasses with anti glare coating a great help. Even if your son has excellent eye sight it is worth considering the glasses as they will help him enjoy tv, cinema (sit well back), panto etc. Also for computer lessons. I also take omega 3 6000mgs daily (adult dose) with a strong antihistamine. It's taken me two and a half years but I feel I've found the formula for keeping my Bleph under control. It's different for everyone. Don't lose heart. Bed time wishes, Pamela 

I have angular blepharitis as well as chronic dry eyes.I am now taking restasis and am not sure if that just works on the Blepharitis as well as helping to produce tears. I use a tea tree foaming cleanser on my eyelids daily, as well as Essential Nine eyelid and skin cream which helps to moisturize the dry skin. Also warm compresses sooth the sore, achy eyes! Good Luck!!

 

I'm a 44-year old adult who has had severe blepahritis at 4 years old. So much of your post rings true - I was very sensitive to light and, am a little to this day. I suffer from itchy, sensitive eyes. It was much worse when I was his age, though - I used to get chronic migranies from bright lights, and my other symptoms were worse - itching, red eyes that I couldn't leave alone. Many of us grow out of some of those symptoms - maybe all of them, if you're lucky - but others you just have to learn how to deal with. 

I grew out of the extreme sensitivity at about age 10-11. I've never had a migraine since a couple of years after that. But I've always had to continue looking after my eyelids, as the irritation hasn't gone away.

The best remedy for belpharitis, in my experience, is a strict, daily care routine. That's pretty easy as an adult, but not so easy when you're young and haven't developed a routine yet. Washing his eyes every day with a sterile solution, or a commercial product designed for blepharitis should help a lot. 

I wish him all the best. Hope something here helps.