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Operation for blepharitus

Posted , 5 users are following.

shirley50958
shirley50958

Hi I have had this awful condition for 18 years and I've finally got some real help. I have just undergone a surgical procedure where the oil glands (50 in each eye lids)  have been unblocked using tiny rods. I had it done on the NHS in the UK last month and the results have been great. My ears are more open, whiter and don't feel gritty or sore. The consultant said that 70 percent of the glands were blocked and by unblocking them the oil can now flow. Some of the gland holes had skin grown over them as they had been blocked for so many years and when they were clearing them I could hear them pop. This procedure is done under local anesthetic but is a relatively new. I am 50 years old and it started age 32. Hope this helps you all x

2 likes, 18 replies

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  • david01026
    david01026 shirley50958

    Posted

    Glad to hear it.  I'm sure my problem started because of oily skin, I had acne etc as a teenager, several boils and things all due to oily skin (the plus side is that it helps against the 'prune effect' as you get older).

    ​One thing I will say is that now the oil glands are clean and unblocked is to do as I do and use a shampoo suitable for seborheic dermatitis (capasal), this has kept the problem at bay for me for years now, you may need a prescription, have a word with the doc.  Wet wipes and stuff were useless for me, just made it worse if anything.  Good Luck.

    • david01026
      david01026 shirley50958

      Posted

      No, not silly at all, I just wash my hair and use the suds to wash my face as well, fairly gently, I then use a kind of 'squeegy' action on my closed eyes in an outward direction, toward my ears if you like, not too much pressure, then, after washing the rest of my body in shower gel a thorough rinsing top to bottom.  I hope this helps.  If you search capasal on this site, you will find several people mention it.
  • fiona51388
    fiona51388 shirley50958

    Posted

    Hi, I take it you meant eyes not ears!! LOL!!  Anyway this sound like great news, i am going to ask my GP where and when i can get an op similar myself, thanks
    • shirley50958
      shirley50958 fiona51388

      Posted

      Hi yes eyes! You'll have to push for it but it is available on either the NHS or privately it's certainly made a big difference good luck x
    • fiona51388
      fiona51388 shirley50958

      Posted

      Thanks Shirley, I think that's probably true of a lot of operations, I am hoping my GP/ eye consultant will be sympathetic to my request as in the three years I've had it I have tried every remedy under the sun, nothing's worked and I have it constantly, raging and full of gunk every single morning, so I feel I deserve it, an op, I will certainly push as with this complaint you do really suffer, don't you? We're there any adverse side effects afterwards or things to look out for?
    • shirley50958
      shirley50958 fiona51388

      Posted

      I had two black eyes and some swelling but nothing more, well worth it, li continue to massage my eyes after heat pad to encourage the oil flow x
    • fiona51388
      fiona51388 shirley50958

      Posted

      Right, well as they say, Shirley, no gain without pain, is there?  Glad it was successful, I so want to have it, with me I have a prolapsed bowel and a diagnosis of schizophrenia to contend with as well and frankly bleph on top of it really does prove too much for me, I may put something in writing to my GP along those lines if I feel I am not getting anywhere verbally, by the way, your post brought so much hope not just to me but potentially to so many bleph sufferers, thanks a million!
    • fiona51388
      fiona51388 shirley50958

      Posted

      I certainly will, seeing her Friday early evening so hopefully a positive outcome
    • fiona51388
      fiona51388

      Posted

      Hi, just to update everyone, I have had an appointment made with the eye hospital and made some notes to show my doctor and also take along which support my case for needing an operation as having tried everything else on the market avaialable, and having other serious health concerns I feel I genuinely do need one, I am waiting for it to arrive in the post, there will probably be considerable delays before I get one, and also I am fully prepared for them to hum and har a lot before they will consider offering it, after all, it took 18 months of my going around with a fully prolapsed bowel and numerous "essays" on my symptoms and constant complaining before they deemed to give me surgery for that, by then emergency, not that it helped much in any case, but getting back to the blepharitis op, this is probably I would imagine a lot more simple than major bowel surgery so I can see no logical reason why I shouldn't be offered it, but as I said before, will update everyone after my appointment at the hospital, wish me luck and good luck to all bleph sufferers out there..
  • davina6
    davina6 shirley50958

    Posted

    Hi Shirley, have this horrid condition the past 18 months. I'm 35. What is the procedure called? Did you have to jump through hoops to get it? 
    • shirley50958
      shirley50958 davina6

      Posted

      Hi davina, I saw an optician in Olney in Buckinghamshire who was amazingly helpful, they tried to unblock the oil ducts but weren't very successful so she referred me to Northampton General where I saw a consultant, the procedure was carried out, I'll sort out paperwork and find out the medical name, are you in the uk? 
  • Pedro64
    Pedro64 shirley50958

    Posted

    Hi there everybody, very interesting conversation, I have like a lot of people being suffering for decades and nothing helps, the wet ones I find completely useless, also I have private Bupa medical care through work and persuaded my gp to refer me to a specialist, he never mentioned anything about a segura like procedure and all he came up with was a warm eye bath and baby shampoo, after 10 visits!!!, must of made a fortune and was just as useless as the wet ones, is this a new procedure if so I'll peruse it again. 

    Pete....

  • fiona51388
    fiona51388 shirley50958

    Posted

    Hi Shirley, I have just seen my ophathalmic optician who is very skeptical as to if an operation such as you are describing actually exists and says his colleague in Bournemouth hasn't heard of it either, if you could substantiate this with the actual name of the operation you had it would be helpful, I am due to see him again early in December so by then would be ideal, thanks, Fiona
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