Blepharitis Treatments

Blepharitis is a condition where a low grade bacterial infection of the eye lid margin occurs. It can cause uncomfortable, stinging, burning, itching eyes and eyelids as well as blurred vision. Blepharitis also increases your chances of getting other eye infections. Blepharitis tends to be a chronic condition, meaning that it really never goes completely away. Generally speaking we can control, but not cure blepharitis. It is, therefore, important if you have blepharitis that you understand how to keep it under control.

The most important thing you can do to control blepharitis is to keep your eyelids clean and free from dead skin, lipids, proteins and bacterial toxins that tend to accumulate on the eye lid margins at the base of the eye lashes. Eye lid hygiene is important in controlling blepharitis, yet the eye and the eye lid are very sensitive areas of our body and it is not easy to cleanse the eyelid margins.

Moist heat is very helpful when it comes to eye lid hygiene. Although it is somewhat helpful to try to run warm water over the eyelids during a shower, hot compresses are more effective. A wet wash cloth can be micro waved for about 30 seconds to bring it up to temperature. (Be careful that you don't get it too hot.) After the washcloth (or warm compress as we like to call it) is up to temperature, lie down and place the compress over your closed eyes. Allow the moist heat to soften the debris along the eye lids for 5-10 minutes. Use the compresses daily.

Placing a micro waved rice pack over the compress is very helpful in keeping the temperature of the compress constant. (Ask about rice packs at the front desk if you need one.) After 5-10 minutes of warm compress it is time to carefully remove the debris from the base of the eye lashes and lids. This is best done with a cotton tip swab, better known as a q-tip, while you are looking in the mirror. First, moisten the q-tip under warm tap water and then carefully cleanse in a horizontal stroke along the lower lids. It is easier to do the upper lids by stroking down. It is very helpful to have someone who can help you do the procedure. It is not that easy to do the procedure on yourself, though it can be done if you are careful.

There are two commercially available lid scrubs that are also very beneficial at controlling blepharitis. Ocusoft makes both a medicated pad and a foam cleanser that help to clean eyelids. Sterilid is also a foam cleanser. Ocusoft products are available at the front desk. Sterilid is available at Bi-Rite, although they may have to order it in for you, and it is quite a bit more expensive than Ocusoft.

It is not uncommon to use prescribed antibiotic ointments at night every day for 1-2 weeks to get the blepharitis under control. To use the ointment, first cleanse the lid margins, put a small amount on the tip of a wet q-tip and gently massage the ointment into the upper and lower lids at the base of the lashes. Use the ointment before bedtime rather than in the morning because ointments can blur vision.

Once blepharitis is under control it is important to maintain lid hygiene to prevent flair ups. If the blepharitis does flare, it is best to treat it early rather than to wait.