Struggling with Blepharitis

[savethegorgeousbees]

For some time I was having very watery eyes but put it down to being peri.

They then started to get sore and itchy so thought ok possibly allergies as my hay fever was bad so got drops to treat with no success.

Then thought eye infection as been prone to them in the past due to contact lenses and got the antibiotic drops off the chemist which usually clears them up but again with no success.

So phoned for a drs appointment who advised my eyes need to be seen by an ophthalmologist so I made appointment and blepharitis was diagnosed.

On their advise I have been using dry eye drops, hot compresses , wiping twice daily with blepasol and massage and also started fish oil. This has been for 4 weeks but my eyes are no way near improving in fact are getting extremely worse.

The skin around my eyes are so dry , sore and itchy which makes the hot compressions hurt them even more and I have tried sensitive cream and Vaseline to try and help again nothing. Plus they get swollen.

My actual eyes water constantly, are itchy , stabbing pains , floaters and the corner of them (the nose side) just gets red and inflamed.

I am at the point I want to rip my eyes out as I feel so sore and miserable.

I have an appointment to go back to the ophthalmologist on Monday but am worried they will advise there is nothing more they can do and I just need to keep persevering but surely by now I would feel some improvement not getting worse?

I can accept that with this diagnosis I need to do a lot of self care to keep it under control but surely there is something I can take to get me to that point as what they advised is not working at all and fuck me its miserable 😖.

Sorry it's so long but has anyone got any experience,? Thanks

Boots do a foam wash. I find it excellent when mine flares up. It’s instant relief.

https://www.boots.com/boots-pharmaceuticals-blepharitis-eye-lid-foam-100-ml-10205857?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--LIAs---_-PMax:+UK_Smart_Shopping_LIAs_Health&gbraid=0AAAAADrIajVJay83kt4rYP27jAKieAxo9&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyNv-gZGvgQMVis3tCh25JQFYEAQYAiABEgKcIfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had this earlier this year. Eyes watering constantly, skin on eyelids all red and dry and flaky. At one point I had pink blotchy panda eyes from the sore skin. the boots foam really helped - I did that morning and night, and blephasol wipes sometimes during the day

That sounds awful, poor you. Do you wear any eye make up or use moisturisers etc? My DM can only use certain products due to this problem.

Optician suggested the following regime for me (links to products on Amazon)

Optase eyelid cleanser (sounds similar to pp's Boots foam)
Optase wipes to use after warm eye mask and massage
Actase supplements (Omega 3)
Increase oily fish in diet.
Take care not to get dehydrated.
Switched lenses to ones with a higher moisture content.

Optician said a common thing is for people to not do the massage.

My symptoms don't seem quite as bad as yours. Over 1 month now and I might have seen a tiny improvement - maybe.

Best thing for blepharitis is Johnson's baby shampoo. One cap mixed with 4 caps of water and mix until it's bubbly. Use the bubbles and a small amount of the liquid on a clean cotton pad to cleanse your eyes. Clears it up quickly.

I have been struggling a lot with this over the last few months. My doctor has prescribed some steroid eye drops which have helped really quickly. I think some of the hygiene stuff is useful to prevent it but when it's been lingering for a while (and turns into other problems like conjunctivitis), you need something more.

I had exactly this, was diagnosed blepharitis - did all the care stuff to no avail. I went to see my optician who said it was down to dry eye, I used drops for a while but importantly had a change in glasses prescription which completely cured it. You say you use contacts so you may already have what you need, but do make sure you have the right strength glasses prescription. Take regular screen breaks and hopefully it will ease. Good luck.

I had this a few years ago and i found a hot compress eye mask helped, but only temporarily.

It was actually being caused by a combination of looking at screens all day, and living in rented accommodation with a leak in my bedroom ceiling, so possibly linked to damp. As soon as I moved out, my eyes got better.

Are there any other circumstances apart from peri that you can think of that might be affecting your eyes?

I had (have) this and you really need moisturising drops. Mine was caused by dry eye. Unfortunately it is a chronic condition once you get it so you need to keep using them. I tried steroid eye drops etc, but it is the Hylo Forte intensive that keeps it from flaring up.

Optase tea tree eye wash is better than Blephasol.

Stand in the shower with a warm wet flannel on your eyes and when it gets cold repeat.

This is how I treated mine, it was mild though.

I had this for about a year. Tried loads of things, some recommended on here. The thing that worked and has kept it from coming back, is a very hot, clean flannel pressed onto the eyelid and then gently (but firmly) scrubbed along the lash line. Did this twice a day and it cleared up in a week.

Thanks some stuff on here to try , the boots wash looks helpful. I have sensitive skin at the best of times and all the stuff I am doing and using makes my skin around my eyes sore any suggestions on that as ?

I would use Hylo Forte intensive. A real miracle worker for my blepharitis as stated previously. If your eyes are sensitive and sore, would refrain from more harsh treatment. The hot cloth is also a good suggestion to use alongside it.

And wear sunglasses when in sunshine or bright light. Once you have it, it won't go away. Just needs managing.

I have MGD - it sounds like you may have too. I got the blepharitis run around too. The NHS doesn't want to deal with it. I'm stubborn and so is my GP. You need an eye specialist - the better Medstead can only be prescribed by one, but in the end I had to have some minor surgery to correct it. It's not perfect, but improved.

My brother in law had this. I advised him to make a wash with 2 red bush tea bags and boiling water. Cool down and use as an eye wash. He has much improved since using this

I've had something which I think was blepharitis - sore, scaly patches on my eyelid and every so often my eyelid and inner corner of my eye would swell over night. I ended seeing an opthalmologist for a different matter and his advice was to keep my eyelids as clean as possible. I'd been trying different creams & aloe vera gel to help the itching but I stopped using these and instead at night I wipe my eyes with a saline spray on a cotton pad. The one I use is from Morrisons supermarket in the first aid section.
You have my sympathy OP, I found it a very uncomfortable condition and I'm now very wary of wearing any makeup on my eyelids. If I do wear it for several days in a row I get very dry eyes at night and that's normally a sign for me that it's about to flare up.

I'm with you op, I've had this on and off for a year, alongside loads of other post covid shit.

My eyelids actually feel hot and sticky too, but no yellow gunk etc.

My regime is hycosan eye drops (around 3 times daily) and every evening those wipes plus a hot flannel and a massage and I then use a small layer of Vaseline, which seems to help me . It's a total pain in the arse , feels like I've got soap in my eyes at times too

My optician told me on no account should I do this and that plain water was much better of I didn't have specific products.

I really feel for you. I suffered terribly with this or too long after finally being diagnosed 5 years ago. I tried all the lotions and potions suggested to no avail. I ended up being prescribed a steroid cream, dry eye drops and washing eyes with baby shampoo and cotton buds every morning and night and absolutely no make up. It took some persistence but eventually did clear.

Now I just manage flare ups, but have identified my triggers so avoid those. I wish you luck, it's absolutely horrid, I hope you get it cleared soon

Sea buckthorn supplements are meant to be really good. They were recommended when I had dry eyes

Blepharitis is often the go to diagnosis when that's not actually the problem. Ask your doctor to prescribe some carbomer 0.2% lubricating eye gel for your eyes and pimecrolimus 10m/g cream (if they won't do hydrocortisone cream) for the skin damage. Promise you that these will lead to a massive improvement

I’ve had blepharitis all my adult life. I find the best thing is Optase tea tree wash, hot flannel on eyes for 3 mins, clean afterwards with sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water. Thealoz Duo eye drops every hour and Hylonight gel. It’s a faff but if I relax my regime it comes back with a vengeance.

I had blepharitis several years ago and my eyes used to stream too, especially if I was exercising or cleaning the house funnily enough. I looked like I was crying! It was during quite a stressful time so I put it down to this. The only thing that worked was steroid eye drops. They worked really quickly, it was such a relief. The hygiene routine is really important too though, in order to prevent it flaring up again. I found cleaning inside the eyelids and underneath the eyes with cooled boiled water and cotton buds twice a day worked well. I’ve not had a flare up for about 10 years now.

@Chasingsquirrels

I was plagued for years with blepharitis. This was the only thing that cleared it up, I've not had it for 4 years.