Blepharitis

Blepharitis is a common and persistent inflammation of the eyelids. Symptoms include irritation, itching, and occasionally, a red eye.

This condition frequently occurs in people who have a tendency towards oily skin, dandruff, or dry eyes. Blepharitis can begin in early childhood, producing granulated eyelids, and continue throughout life as a chronic condition, or develop later in life.

Bacteria resides on the surface of everyone's skin, but in certain individuals they thrive in the skin at the base of the eyelashes. The resulting irritation, sometimes associated with over activity of the nearby oil glands, causes dandruff-like scales and particles to form along the lashes and eyelid margins.

Sometimes the scaling or bacteria produce only minor irritation and itching, but in some they may cause redness, stinging or burning. Some people may develop a sensitivity to the scales or to the bacteria which surround them. This can lead to more serious complications - inflammation of the eye tissues, particularly the cornea (the clear front window of the eye).

How is blepharitis treated? Blepharitis is a condition that may not be cured, but can be controlled with a few simple daily measures:

• At least twice a day, wet a washcloth with comfortably warm water, wring it out, and place over the closed eyelids for a minute. Re-wet it as it cools, two or three times. This will soften and loosen scales and debris. More importantly, it helps liquefy the oily secretions from the eyelids' oil glands and helps prevent the development of a chalazion, an inflamed lump in an eyelid oil gland.
• With a moist cotton bud, or commercial lint-free pad, gently scrub the base of the lashes about 15 seconds per lid.
• If an antibiotic ointment has been prescribed, apply a dab at the base of the lashes (usually at bedtime), using your fingertip.

The above simple, daily hygienic measures will minimise the symptoms but additional medications might be needed to control blepharitis and its symptoms:

• Artificial tears may be used to relieve symptoms of dry eye.
• Steroid eye drops may be used short-term to decrease inflammation.
• Antibiotic ointment may be used to decrease the bacterial content of the eyelids.
• Antibiotic tablets may be used to decrease the oil production from the meibomian glands.