I'm looking for some help regarding my eyes. I've been working making vintage windows for Christmas with a very fine powder glitter for about two weeks and is was getting into my eyes and I did not know it and I have very dry eyes after a couple weeks I noticed that my eyes were swelling and very red and burning and I went to an ophthalmologist who said I had dry eyes and that was from Sjogren's and also might be a candidate from plugs and Restasis. He said if it did not calm down in two weeks that this could be more of a manifestation of my disease. It is still going on. My eyes are Burning puffy, red, sometimes itchy and just don't look like my eyes. I have read up on blephatis and started washing my eyes with Johnson's baby soap mixed with water and doing hot water compresses and they put me on TopraDex, because they thought maybe it was an infection, but I have read it helps with blepharitis, because it has an antibiotics and steriods in it. Does anyone have this chronically or episodes of it and if so what happens and how do you deal with it?
Thanks!
Sjogrens, lupus, Hashimotos, CVID
Dear Mollie,
I was diagnosed with blepharitis in 2010, by an ophthalmologist. I didn't even know I had it.
Fast forward almost 9 years: My eyes burn and are sticky in the mornings. I always use a hot washcloth to clean my eyes and soothe them.
I haven't had complications of blepharitis that I know of, and I haven't ever sought professional help.
My eyelashes first started to curl! I thought that was nice, because I didn't try to curl them, but it looked nice.
My eyes lashes then began to disappear. Both lower and upper lashes are almost gone, and the eyes lashes that are left are very short. I have always used eye make up when going 'out' (in public).
Now there isn't much point, but I keep trying. "Vanity, thy name is Elaine" it seems.
Evidently damage to the cornea is possible (but rare) with blepharitis:
https://online.epocrates.com/diseases/57452/Blepharitis/Complications
The article from Mayo Clinic is comprehensive on the subject of blepharitis:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/blepharitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20370141
Best wishes,
Elaine
Had an episode with it about 2 years ago. It was miserable. I was on vacation at the time and traveled to New Hampshire to see the foliage. I spent half of the time with either having my eyes completely closed and trying to avoid any movement, or with two pairs of sunglasses on to try to block out all light. I used my eye drops (at the time was Restasis and Refresh PM gel) and warm washcloths. When I returned home, I went to the opthamologist and started Xiidra eye drops. Also kept using the gel at night. Things got a lot better at that point and I haven't had any blepharitis issues since.....Just the regular dry eyen issues ;) I am also very careful with my eyes, no makeup, no air conditioning blowing on my face, no wind in my face....etc. I hope things get better for you, I remember how miserable it was.
I noticed that air blowing my face from the purifier and heater upstairs really makes them worse.
My episode started with working with fine powder glitter and I kept blowing it off the page stupidly not realizing it was getting in my eyes, Docl just thought it was just an inflammation of my eyes from irritation but it is been two weeks and they're more than cleaned out, and the issue actually seems to be game worse or staying the same.
Well I had great success with this after Blue Gardenia on this forum recommended tea tree oil. I too was suffering badly with blepharitis, the optician recommended Blephasol and hot compresses, which had no effect. I put up with it for months.
What to do: make a 10:1 solution of saline (or I use rosewater) and tea tree oil. To be clear: 10 spoons of water to one spoonful of tea tree oil. Keep that in a bottle. When you want to use it, shake bottle, and in a saucer mix 1 teaspoon of the mixture with 5 more spoons of saline. Warm for a few seconds in microwave, don't let it get too hot. Using a q-tip, gently stroke mixture round inner rim of upper and lower eyelids. This cleared my blepharitis up in a matter of days. I still do the treatment every 3-4 days in case it starts to come back.
If you have a very sensitive skin maybe dilute the tt oil a bit more. Hope this is some help.
do you buy this tea tree oil at the health store, is it an actual oil?
Also can anyone explain the mite connection to this? I have read a bunch of posts about it and I am not grasping it, do mites cause this? and how would you know?
hi, I suggest you to try what Araminta explained. I am in Italy and I find tee tree oil at the pharmacy.i think that in the States you can find it at CVS or chemist. this works very well for me, much better than antibiotics. I had blepharitis one month ago after years and it went away cleaning my eyes with that solution three times a day. remember that water must be very hot, as hot as you can hold the pads, ciao
Demodex mites can be the cause of blepharitis - you would need a very good magnifier to see them. Or it can be a bacterial infection. Either way tea tree oil seems to be effective.
I'm not quite sure how the glitter comes into all this. Maybe that's a somewhat different problem. I wonder if some of the little bits are still in your eyes?
I was mistakely diagnosed with blepharitis that turned out to be a cascade of inflammation and allergic conjunctivitis triggered by SS and its "gift" of dryness. Many things trigger the allergic aspect and that may be at least part of what you have going on.
Glitter is also ridiculously difficult to get rid of completely. Have you had an eye doc flip your eyelid to check for any specks?
You could try Zaditen eye drops in preservative-free vials to see if they help. If they do, it's allergy related.
I did the tea tree oil and it stung very bad, but after using twice yesterday and once today my eyes are much better, like 40% or more. I am confused as to why this helps and why is tings so much?
Mollie - glad to hear the tea tree oil helped. If it stings badly perhaps you should dilute it a bit more.
Sometimes we have more than one thing going on, perhaps there is infection but also still some tiny pieces of glitter in your eye. Or as Sharon says it could be an allergy.
Some time ago I was sanding a ceiling prior to painting it, and a tiny flake of paint got into my eye. I knew there was something in there but could never see it (it was white paint). Several weeks later it came out of its own accord.
great! in a little cup you have to pour two fingers of hot water and ONE DROP OF Tea tree, this should be fine, its really the best
The tea tree oil is VERY strong. I don't tolerate it AT ALL. Good idea to dilute it.
It must have killed some of the mites.
why are more prone to mites, because we are so dry? I felt like the extra fine dust glitter may have had mites in it? they store that stuff in warehouse and mites grown all over the dust. Just seems so odd.
Just a suggestion...my optometrist told me to dip a cotton stick in baby shampoo and use it to clean eye lashes while in shower. Works quite well.
Jo. 😊
Mollie - you can google demodex mites - they are always present on our skin and usually present no problem - they wouldn't have come from a warehouse. I don't know why they sometimes become a problem.
of course teetree must be diluted!!! the proportion should be one per cent!!
Blepharitis was one of my first symptoms. My eyes were in terrible shape, ruby red, irritated, itchy, and more. I was given meds to take care of it then went on the long nearly five-year journey before I was diagnosed with SjS then a few more years and diagnosed with RA as well (along with Raynauds and a few other items).
I have not had it since then, but I also make sure my eyes are really clean at night. If need be I use a warm compress or warm water in my hands to open the ducts. I use Restasis and taking Evoxac for saliva production seems to add moisture to my eyes.
Everyone here is talking about red, puffy eyes. My blephatis causes flakes along the edge of my upper eyelashes. It's disgusting! I have to check my face four or five times a day to make sure I don't have dandruff on my eyelashes and eyebrows! Not much swelling or redness. Just itching. Since it is mostly the flaking I thought maybe it was a wrong diagnosis but doc insists it's blephatis. I hate it...
Same for me Deeindiana :(