Sunday, July 15, 2012

Blepharitis on a Blog


I did not know that the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation had a blog! It's entitled Conquering Sjogrens, and the most recent post was a very helpful bit about recognizing and treating blepharitis.

What's blepharitis? It's an inflammation of the eyelash follicles resulting in crusty drainage, redness, and swelling of the eyelid, and is a common problem for sjoggies due to our altered tear composition and volume. Ever wake up with your eyelashes firmly glued top to bottom with eyelids swollen, red, itchy, and painful? That would be blepharitis. You can read more about it here.

I would post a picture, but guys......the pics that I found are just too.....ewwww. I'm writing this over breakfast and the pictures are stomach-turning. Sorry. So imagine. Or go google images of blepharitis for yourself.

Here's what the SSF blog and Michael A. Lemp, MD has to say about blepharitis treatment:

"The most common form of treatment is the use of moist heat to the lids, cleansing of the lid margins and the use of oral antibiotics such as tetracycline. This regimen can result in significant improvement of the symptoms of irritation and pain. In more severe cases the use of locally applied steroids can be helpful. Current research is studying the use of locally applied hormone preparations and newer antibiotics to reduce inflammation and normalize the oil secretion."
Do you have issues with chronic blepharitis? What helps you ease the symptoms?

3 comments:

Blogger Mama said...

Lots of eye drops to relieve the itchy scratchy feeling. And wiping my eyelids with un-scented baby wipes to clean them several times a day.

annie said...

Thank you for sparing us the gross details, Julia. Thank you BLOGGER MAMA for a good treatment suggestions.I don't think I've had this, but a couple of years ago I woke up and started having palpitations....my right eye looked weird...the inner side of the eye near the nose was stuck together halfway, while the other half was open. I calmed down and started warm towel compresses and that helped.More stuff to look forward to!

TERESA THORPE said...

The blepharitis treatment by tarcical. It is not the eye drops but they are tablets that are made by 100% herbal ingredients. It maintains the health of the eyes and reduces the pain. It also eradicates the itching. Tarcical is available at herbal care products. Its ingredients are Ashwagandha, Liliaceae, Gum Benjamin, Ammonium Chloride and Myrobalan. It has no side effects.

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