Many people have known what its like to have inflamed eyelids, with swelling and redness of the eyelid rims.
Blepharitis is not a serious disease, but it can be quite bothersome to you. Its most common symptoms include burning or stinging sensation in your eye, itchiness in the eyelids and crusty formations on your eyelashes. Foreign body sensation and high sensitivity to light may also be experienced, as in dry eye syndrome. Blepharitis symptoms feel much worse in the morning.
Types of Blepharitis
The common culprit in blepharitis is a local infection by Staphylococcus bacteria. The problem usually starts in the root of the eyelashes, causing the accumulation of dry, scaly concretions. The tissues on the eyelid rim may be hypersensitive to toxic compounds coming from the staph bacteria, The staph bacteria secrete toxins that may irritate hypersensitive eyelid tissues, causing the inner lining to become inflamed.
Another cause of blepharitis is seborrheic dermatitis, a skin problem also called seborrhoea; in this case, the condition is called seborrheic blepharitis. Seborrheic blepharitis is usually somewhat milder than staphylococcal blepharitis. Seborrhoea appears to produce excess lipids, which irritate sensitive skin tissue as they break up into simpler fatty acids. When the seborrhoea is situated in the eyelids, it can progress into blepharitis.
Another cause of blepharitis derives from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). These glands are responsible for producing the lipids that form the a part of your tear film. The fatty layer helps to keep tear evaporation at a slower rate. The glands get blocked or otherwise fail to secrete the needed lipids. In some cases, this progresses to inflammation and, as a result, blepharitis. Elderly people, who have a long history of eye conditions, have a higher risk for developing blepharitis caused by MGD and seborrhoea.
Treatment
There is no known cure for blepharitis of any origin. The best you can do is to manage the disease, with guidance from your eye care professional.
You must take pains to cleanse the eyelid frequently. Moisten a clean cloth in a dilute solution of warm water and baby shampoo, and use it to clean the eyelid. It may be necessary to scrub the lid a bit to detach encrusted secretions and dried up debris. Removal of debris prevents bacteria from breeding in the eyelid. Scrubbing provides further benefit by stimulating, making tear quality better and relieving dry eye symptoms as tear evaporation slows down. For good measure, you can apply gentle but firm circular strokes to massage the eyelids to induce more secretions from the affected glands.
If you are still trying to bring the blepharitis outbreak under control, frequent washing of the eyelids must be done until the symptoms get better. This process can take months.
In staphylococcal blepharitis, For mild cases of staphylococcal blepharitis, antibiotic creams may be prescribed for spreading on the eyelids and lid margins. In severe cases, the ophthalmologist may recommend topical steroids but will warn you about the dangers of long-term steroid use in terms of higher risk of glaucoma and cataract formation.
If you are interested to try alternative treatment, you can check out folk techniques that use castor oil to address the inflammation brought on by blepharitis.
Castor oil is able to suppress inflammation because of its considerable ricinoleic acid content. For this reason, a number of pharmaceutical products use castor oil in emulsion or in combination with cyclosporine. More consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce inflammation.
Blepharitis is not a serious disease, but it can be quite bothersome to you. Its most common symptoms include burning or stinging sensation in your eye, itchiness in the eyelids and crusty formations on your eyelashes. Foreign body sensation and high sensitivity to light may also be experienced, as in dry eye syndrome. Blepharitis symptoms feel much worse in the morning.
Types of Blepharitis
The common culprit in blepharitis is a local infection by Staphylococcus bacteria. The problem usually starts in the root of the eyelashes, causing the accumulation of dry, scaly concretions. The tissues on the eyelid rim may be hypersensitive to toxic compounds coming from the staph bacteria, The staph bacteria secrete toxins that may irritate hypersensitive eyelid tissues, causing the inner lining to become inflamed.
Another cause of blepharitis is seborrheic dermatitis, a skin problem also called seborrhoea; in this case, the condition is called seborrheic blepharitis. Seborrheic blepharitis is usually somewhat milder than staphylococcal blepharitis. Seborrhoea appears to produce excess lipids, which irritate sensitive skin tissue as they break up into simpler fatty acids. When the seborrhoea is situated in the eyelids, it can progress into blepharitis.
Another cause of blepharitis derives from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). These glands are responsible for producing the lipids that form the a part of your tear film. The fatty layer helps to keep tear evaporation at a slower rate. The glands get blocked or otherwise fail to secrete the needed lipids. In some cases, this progresses to inflammation and, as a result, blepharitis. Elderly people, who have a long history of eye conditions, have a higher risk for developing blepharitis caused by MGD and seborrhoea.
Treatment
There is no known cure for blepharitis of any origin. The best you can do is to manage the disease, with guidance from your eye care professional.
You must take pains to cleanse the eyelid frequently. Moisten a clean cloth in a dilute solution of warm water and baby shampoo, and use it to clean the eyelid. It may be necessary to scrub the lid a bit to detach encrusted secretions and dried up debris. Removal of debris prevents bacteria from breeding in the eyelid. Scrubbing provides further benefit by stimulating, making tear quality better and relieving dry eye symptoms as tear evaporation slows down. For good measure, you can apply gentle but firm circular strokes to massage the eyelids to induce more secretions from the affected glands.
If you are still trying to bring the blepharitis outbreak under control, frequent washing of the eyelids must be done until the symptoms get better. This process can take months.
In staphylococcal blepharitis, For mild cases of staphylococcal blepharitis, antibiotic creams may be prescribed for spreading on the eyelids and lid margins. In severe cases, the ophthalmologist may recommend topical steroids but will warn you about the dangers of long-term steroid use in terms of higher risk of glaucoma and cataract formation.
If you are interested to try alternative treatment, you can check out folk techniques that use castor oil to address the inflammation brought on by blepharitis.
Castor oil is able to suppress inflammation because of its considerable ricinoleic acid content. For this reason, a number of pharmaceutical products use castor oil in emulsion or in combination with cyclosporine. More consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce inflammation.