BLEPHARITIS
& LID SCRUBS
Blepharitis is very common in human beings and probably affects over half the population at any given time. It is usually not a severe problem but it can lead to other complications in susceptible individuals. Frequent sties or chalazia, "burny-itchy" eyes, granulated eyelids, red, thickened lids, and a dry, gritty feeling, particularly in the morning, may lead to the diagnosis of blepharitis.
Lid scrubs can be a very effective treatment for chronic blepharitis. The chronic nature of blepharitis makes it a difficult thing to CURE totally but you can CONTROL it with some rather simple procedures. It is important to remember that any chronic condition takes time to develop (months to years) and therefore, getting control of the problem will also take some time. So be patient and persistent in your therapy.
The following list is the STANDARD therapy regimen for chronic blepharitis. This will vary somewhat depending on the severity of YOUR condition. The scrub pads and cleaning solution that I refer to are available as kits that you may find at your drugstore or many eye doctors' offices. You may substitute a clean wash cloth and a "no tears" baby shampoo if you like.
· 1. Just before bedtime, soak a scrub pad with the solution provided, and rub your lid margins with your eyes closed. Scrub rather vigorously right where your lids come together. Do this on both eyes for about ten seconds each. Rinse with a warm wet washcloth.
· 2. Apply about ¼ inch of prescribed ointment on the tip of your finger and rub it along your lid margins where you just finished scrubbing. Spread the ointment evenly along the margins and repeat with the other eye.
· 3. In the morning, repeat step #1 but do not apply the ointment.
· 4. You will be doing 2 scrub sessions per day and applying ointment once a day, at night.
· 5. Follow this program for AT LEAST 21 DAYS in a row.
If you notice a significant improvement in your condition after 21 days, discontinue the ointment but CONTINUE with the two scrubs a day until you feel the condition is controlled. This may actually be a lifetime procedure for you, but if you can control symptoms with just a few scrubs a week, you have everything to gain with very little inconvenience. If symptoms worsen again you may return to using the ointment for a 10-21 day period. The goal, remember, is to alleviate the problem without the use of the ointment.
The ointment that is usually prescribed for blepharitis is Bacitracin. It will require a prescription from your eye doctor, so a short visit would be in order. This medicine is very specific for staphylococcal infections, the usual, underlying cause of blepharitis. Seborrheic blepharitis is a specific type of chronic blepharitis primarily involving the lid margins and often associated with dandruff and greasy scaling of the scalp, eyebrows, central face, chest, and pubic areas. A dermatologist would be your clinician in this case, but if the condition is not severe, you may try one of the many antiseborrheic shampoos on the market (Neutrogena T/Gel, Head and Shoulders, Selsun Blue, Exsel), along with your normal lid scrubs.
In addition to the common symptoms that I mentioned earlier, blepharitis may also cause you to lose some of your eyelashes, cause your lashes to turn white, or cause a misdirection of their growth. It may also cause a superficial inflammation of the lower part of your cornea.
As you can see, blepharitis can be quite a problem, but with determination most people can control nearly all these signs and symptoms with a few daily scrubs and the knowledge that the condition is CHRONIC.