Blepharitis

Animals suffer from it as well. This is not surprising, because they do not have hands to clean their eyes. We do, but even then it is not easy, to treat it well. Ophthalmologists seem to know little about it and usually they ignore eyelids and what happens between eye lashes. (At least, my ophthalmologist does not seem to be very interested in anything which is not the “eye itself”. However, blepharitis or chronic eyelid inflammation is ubiquitous and once it has set in, it can trouble one for many years if not for the rest of one’s life. I have suffered from it more than 30 years, and at least for 25 years I did not know that, despite going at least every other year to my ophthalmologist for a check-up.

Here now comes Dr Quack. But I actual have experience with blepharitis and for many years because I did not find any real help or any remedy which cures it. I have come to the conclusion that there is no single remedy to cure it. What made considerable difference to my condition after having tried so much are the following things:

1) Dr Johnson’s baby shampoo – don’t laugh, perhaps the main remedy, 2) lubricating eye drops and not just one drop a day, 3) magnifying mirror, and, what the doctors never talk about, 4) some gentle manual intervention on your eyelids. This last bid needs very clean hands and nails and in order to use your fingernails well you need the magnifying mirror. 5) Warm wet cloths on your eyes can be helpful but does very little if not combined with active cleaning.

I do not know if anyone has explained to you the origin of blepharitis. It actually starts between the little lashes on your eyelids, top and bottom. Between the lashes there are two types of gland which produce watery and oily substances to lubricate the eye. When these glands get clogged this lubrication gets inhibited and over the time, a crust is being created between the lashes and this produces inflammatory symptoms and effects. In order to clean the spaces between the lashes, in my experience, it is necessary to soften the crusty substance and to remove it very gently, even with the use of a bit finger nail – your eye doctor might be horrified. But I really mean gently and avoiding scratching or touching your eyes. This is possible and takes just a bit of practice and then it will be routine. I do it every day.
I use Johnson’s baby shampoo every morning after waking up. A few drops in the palm of your left hand, a bit of water, then spreading it nicely over your fingertips and then wash both your eyes very gently, keeping them closed, of course, rinse them well, dry them and then you put two drops of eye lubricant into each eye. I lubricate my eyes now at least 4 times a day and this has helped a lot. I do the manual eyelid cleaning once a day. Any time is good, but for me it’s best after coming out of the early morning gooky times – around 10 or 11 a.m. Warm clothes over your eyes can help to soften the stuff in between the lashes but in my experience it does not really remove it. Removing it in my case required the help of my fingernails.

So much information based on my own experience. Like always do not take it as recommendation or proven treatment. You have to experiment and find out what works for you and if what I am saying can be of help.