Eyebrow twitching and Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD)?

[MAT51]

My opthamologist recently diagnosed MGD and requested that I use heat pads on my eyes for 15 minutes twice a day and then massage them after for a bit using a special eye massage tool. He wants to see me again in a week to check whether my eyes are less dry and producing more oil. Can anyone tell me if I should massage them using drops? He said the MGD isn't part of the Sjögren's but will be exacerbating it.

Since I've been doing this my eyes have been very twitchy and my right eyebrow spasms whenever I blink. Are these two issues connected or is the increase in twitching eyes (had this as long as I can recall occasionally when I'm tired) and eyebrow blink spasms just coinciding with the treatment for MGD?

He did say I had no tears at all, but no scarring or damage either presumably because I am vigilant about keeping them moist. I don't always notice that my eyes are particularly dry because they always have been and I'm used to using drops and ointment frequently. But I also have very widespread SFN and wonder if this twitching is related to this rather than the dry eyes?

[bluegardenia]

i had melbonian gland desease and it went away completely with hot pads and one drop of tea tree.i dont do that for 15 minutes!!! just a couple of minutes morning and evening and i do not massage my eyes bec if i do thet i will get little spasms. i just put the hot pads on the eyes and very gently

[MAT51]

Thanks Bluegardenia. This sounds interesting re the drop of Tea Tree. How do you apply it and isn't it very sore abs stinging having Tea Tree in contact with your eyes? I wonder if it is the massaging causing the spasms for me too? They occur when I blink rather than when I massage but I guess it's all about the nerves and muscles surrounding the eyes. I think it's my body's way of telling me to up my game and use drops more frequently because half hourly they start to spasm and I'm busy and preoccupied so tend to forget just now - maybe using them every few hours which isn't evough for me.

I'd like to try the tea tree if you can tell me how to apply it please?

[Tharrell]

I don't think you would apply tea tree oil neat. I mix mine up with some water and use a cotton ball to gently massage the lash line. I twitch as well when I rub my eyes. My opthalmologist also recommended taking primrose oil capsules for dry eyes. He also prescribed an antibiotic eye drop that i massage into my lids after putting it in my eyes. That is the first thing that really helped with the mgd. We had tried doxicycline tablets, but they didn,t work for me.

[MAT51]

Thanks Tharrell. I was given an antibiotic gel but can't say it's really helped tbh. How do you know whether the problem is dry eyes or MGD? I see the opthamologist again a week today so hopefully will learn more then and will ask about these wretched spasms too. I would try oil of primrose but I feel I'm taking so many tablets and syrups and gels just now for everything that I don't know whether I'm coming or going?!

[bluegardenia]

Mat, i buy pure tea tree oil. then i  make a solution of  one drop of it and ten drops of saline solution in another little bottle. i use one drop of that in a small plate like those that u use under the coffee  cups. i put there some very hot  boiled water  and one drop of the solution i prepared. seems complicated but the only thing that u have to do is prepare the solution 1/10. then u keep it and it lasts at least one month.

[MAT51]

Thanks - I think I'll have to wait until I'm a bit more settled as making and storing preparations and relocating aren't very compatible! But I will defintely give your solution a proper try once we've moved. Until then I'm using Lacrilube at night with Hyloforte drops and Artelac gel during the day. I think cold weather here with wind and central heating and solid fuel fire are certainly not helping.