I had some problems with my right eye for a while – a strange vague blurriness and a slight feeling of ‘something there’. The eye doctor says I have blepharitis and the treatment is to use an eye scrub (I am not making this up) and some OTC eye drops for itchy//dry eyes. OCuSOFT eye scrub was recommended and a few free samples handed to me by the doctor. So I used them and then bought a box of the little devils from the stoopidmarket.

A friend reckons she has had it since childhood (she’s my age) and has always used J&J baby shampoo. I tried this for a while but the blurry vision in one eye returned. I think. It may have been my imagination or dirty glasses of the scratches on the lens.

Anyone else here have any experience with blepharitis* and the treatment of it?

It is pretty bleph when you think of it :/

U.S. National Library of Medicine says:

Treatment

Careful daily cleansing of the eyelid edges helps remove the skin oils that cause bacteria to grow too much. Your health care provider might recommend using baby shampoo or special cleansers. Antibiotic ointments may also be helpful.

If you have blepharitis:
•Apply warm compresses to your eyes for 5 minutes, at least two times per day.

•Using a cotton swab, gently rub a solution of warm water and no-tears baby shampoo along your eyelid where the lash meets the lid. Do this in the morning and before you go to bed.

Expectations (prognosis)

The likely outcome is good with treatment. You may need to keep the eyelid clean to prevent repeated problems. Continuing treatment will make the eyes less red and more comfortable.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002586/#adam_001619.disease.causes

I recommend lid scrubs with baby shampoo. Less tears.

Use an old facewasher that has become a little hard. Do your lid scrubs under the shower. Wet the facewasher. Put a tiny bit of shampoo on it. Or you can dilute some shampoo in an eggcup and take that into the shower with you. Put the facewasher over your finger and wipe along the outside of the lower lashes. Rinse off, dip in shampoo, do other lower lid. Then do each top lid. Individually. Don’t wipe inside the lashline.

Sorry, it’s a bit difficult to do this in words, I am usually demonstrating to someone sitting in a chair in front of me.

A warm compress for 5-10 minutes twice a day can also help clear the gland secretions and aids in expression.

Thanks Bubblecar, buffy and poikilotherm.

I had seen the information provided at the link, Bubblecar, on a different site where they did not mention the use of cotton buds. This could help me if go back to the shampoo approach (a new box of the scrubby things was purchased last week).

buffy – that is a good description, more than the eye doctor provided me with and poik – the use of a warm compress was also mentioned by the eye dude….though he didn’t mention how often.

I suppose it has wide variations with people – my bleph is not too bad, it is not noticeable to a casual observer. I was also told to get rid of any eye make-up and stop wearing it for a while.

Plus I got new specs and they have no scratches from being in a dust storm!! Yet.

thank, again :)

Be careful with cotton buds….easy to poke yourself in the eye.

buffy said:

Be careful with cotton buds….easy to poke yourself in the eye.

Oh yes, I know. I could do that even if I wasn’t aiming for my eyelid. I seem to be permanently klutzy.

Mr Speedy has had this for as long as I’ve known him (20+ years). His eyes have been red and sometimes he gets sties, which need to be cut out/drained by an opthalmologist. A year ago when having his script checked, a new optometrist told him to:

1. Wash his eyelids daily with J & J baby shampoo
2. Use lubricating eyedrops (Bion Tears) if suffering with a flare-up
3. Use antibiotic eyedrops (Chlorsig) if suffering with a flare-up

It took about a month for the redness to go away and he hasn’t had a flare-up since.

Last month when having his script checked again and doing other tests, they have referred him to another opthalmologist/glaucoma specialist for further assessment :/