Ocular rosacea??

[ChittyChittyBoomBoom]

I’ve been having eye and skin problems for a couple of years and I read something yesterday that was a bit of a lightbulb moment!

My eyes have become increasingly sensitive. They stream, feel gritty and more recently I’ve been suffering with recurrent styes and chalazion. My eyelids are sometimes swollen and I can no longer wear eye make up.

A separate issue is the skin on my nose. I’ve worked out that if I’ve been in the sun, my nose goes very red, becomes covered in pus filled spots which eventually dries out and the skin then peels. This is not sunburn though.

Does this sound like rosacea? Can my gp prescribe anything to help?

I would be grateful for any advice or experiences people have had.

The eye problem certainly sounds like ocular rosacea. I have it too. It started in peri menopause (quite common apparently) and it was miserable before I had it treated.

The treatment was a low-level antibiotic for almost one year (doxycycline @ 50mg per day I think). I had the treatment about three years ago and have ever since also taken a high-strength Omega 3 capsule and that now keeps it at bay.

I also had skin problems but it wasn't blistering but more like a raised red patch over the top of my nose and cheeks. That disappeared with the tablets too.

Could it be rosacea blepharitis? I too feel a lot of discomfort in my right eye mainly, eyes are dry and sensitive and my vision is quite blurry on some days. I first booked and appointment at specsavers as my eye test was overdue and I wasn't sure where else to look for help. When I explained my symptoms during an eye test they just recommended lubricating eye drops but the drops didn't really do much for me and I have asked my gp for a referral to an ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist put me on low dose doxyciline, I have been taking that for 3 months and have seen little improvement. I also do lid hygiene twice a day and use hylo forte eye drops. Last year I noticed lots of broken veins on the sides of my nose and general redness. In March I paid to see a dermatologist privately and she diagnosed rosacea blepharitis. I was prescribed finacea gel and I am on my second tube now but haven't seen much improvement in terms id redness. I also asked for soolantra which she prescribed but I haven't tried that yet. I would book an appointment with a gp if I were you

Try ocusoft foam or wipes. This helps kill demodex mites, that cause a lot of the ocular roscara symptoms. You can buy on amazon.

Thanks all, it’s useful to hear of others experiences.

I have ocular rosacea and yes, this sounds like it.

Streaming eyes - tick. Can't wear eye makeup up - tick. Also I have little tiny blisters and redness on the inside of my lids - if you pull down your lower eyelid you might be able to see them. When it got really bad I had blisters on my eyeballs too and that gave me light sensitivity- I just had to lie in a dark room.

Was diagnosed after a few horrendous months - my ophthalmologist was convinced it was an allergy and tried about 12 different types of allergy drop

I'm now on permanent low-dose steroid eye drops. Plus meticulous cleaning of eyelids, rinsing of eyes, and lubricating drops. I still can't wear eye make up, which I'm sad about! I did try doxycycline but it made me feel terrible. I had 3-month checks for a bit but have been very stable on them so now down to six- month checks.

I have mild rosacea on my face (just flushing in the cheeks but it makes my eyes sting too). And all started around menopause for me too.

It’s interesting you say it was menopause related for you. I’m 44 and feel I have several peri symptoms but my blood test said not.

I’ve this and a really strong fish oil every day definitely helps.

Just to update this, my gp diagnosed me with rosacea and ocular rosacea. I’ve been given an eye gel and advised to clean my eyelids twice per day and she’ll refer me if there’s no improvement.