Many people are familiar with the experience of having inflamed eyelids, with the rims all swollen and red.
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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.
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Types of Blepharitis
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Blepharitis is usually caused by a local infection with Staphylococcus bacteria. The infection usually starts in the base of the eyelashes, causing the accumulation of dry, scaly concretions. Your eyelid tissues may be hypersensitive to toxins secreted by the staph bacteria, leading to inflammation of the inner lining.
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The skin problem called seborrhoea, or seborrheic dermatitis, can also cause blepharitis (thus the term seborrheic blepharitis). This is usually somewhat milder than staphylococcal blepharitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is suspected to induce an over-production of lipids, and these subsequently break down into fatty acids that irritate the skin. When the seborrhoea is situated in the eyelids, it can progress into blepharitis.
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Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) can also cause blepharitis. These glands are responsible for producing the lipids that form the one of the layers of your tear film. The fatty layer slows down loss of tears by evaporation. The glands get blocked or otherwise fail to release the required lipids. On occasion, this leads 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.
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Treatment
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Blepharitis, regardless of its cause, is a chronic disease with no known cure. Management of the disease, under your doctor’s guidance, is the most you can do to gain relief.
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It is essential 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 sticky secretions and dried up debris. Elimination of debris denies bacteria a place for breeding. Scrubbing gives the added benefit of inducing the meibomian glands to increase lipid secretions, making tear quality better and relieving dry eye symptoms as tear evaporation slows down. For good measure, you may want to gently (but firmly) massage the eyelids to induce more secretions from the affected glands.
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If you are still trying to bring the blepharitis outbreak under control, frequent scrubbing of the eyelids must be done until the symptoms improve. Months of cleansing may be necessary.
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In staphylococcal blepharitis, For mild cases of staphylococcal blepharitis, topical antibiotics may be prescribed for spreading on the eyelids and lid margins. In severe cases, the doctor may prescribe steroid-based creams but will remind you about the dangers of long-term steroid use in terms of higher risk of glaucoma and cataract formation.
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If you wish to try alternative treatment, you can check out folk techniques that use castor oil to address the inflammation brought on by blepharitis.
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Castor oil contains substantial amounts of ricinoleic acid, which helps to control the inflammation. For this reason, many medications use castor oil in emulsion or in combination with cyclosporine. Higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce inflammation.
Author Resource:
To get more information on how to treat and ease Blepharitis problems and the how to cure dry eye visit this site. For further information about dry eye remedy I recommend reading The Dry Eye Handbook.
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