'Ey up from a Yorkshire lass

[Missyburd]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on this forum for a couple of weeks now, found such useful information to help me with my Blepharitis, best place on the net for good info in my opinion!

A bit of info as to how I've stumbled across your forum then:
I recently took a trip to Scotland where I volunteered on a bird reserve for a week and a half before heading onto an uninhabited island in the Highlands to help out with a bird ringing project on the Storm Petrel population up there. It involved wild camping for 3 nights....I came home with really dry skin round my eyes...I thought it was just a reaction to the windy conditions and salt up there but 2 weeks later and there was no sign of it getting better, the skin had got to the point of cracking and bleeding and was really sore So I eventually sought medical help and was told I had conjunctivitis. I had the standard course of antibiotic ointment and drops and it was a lot better but I still had the redness under the eyelids. Went back in again and I found out the nurse had neglected to tell me she'd also written I had Blepharitis in my notes...so naturally I hadn't been treating myself for it. The doc told me about the hot compresses and general "lid hygiene". He also decided to put me on another course of oral antibiotics, Doxycycline 100mg, for a month

So I now have about 5 days left of these antibiotics. My eyes are pretty much back to normal now, they were really badly watering for a good few weeks and now they only water when I'm tired. I've noticed I still get a bit of gunk in the corners of my eyes but maybe that's just sleep, not that I ever noticed I got it before all this started. I ride a motorbike so I'm really happy about the reduction in tearing, it was getting to the point where I felt I shouldn't be riding...though I still had to, it's my only form of transport and I can't afford for my life to stop because of a bit of water Also I'm used to wearing eyeliner (it's the only makeup I do wear but I wear it all the same) and not being able to wear anything for over a month has been very hard work and I've had a crappy time with it really. My self-esteem has plummeted despite everyone telling me I look fine/they prefer it I've found a "beauty without cruelty" natural mineral eyeliner pencil that doesn't seem to bother my eyes at all which is great. I take care not to wear it all the time but just knowing i can put it on before going out really makes me feel better.

I am normally a very healthy person having never suffered with skin complaints or eye disorders. I don't know what set the conjunctivitis off, possibly an insect bite or something got in my eye on the wind. Now as I understand it, Blepharitis can be either chronic or acute, this could be a one off thing or I may be stuck with it for years to come. I'm keeping up with the compresses but I'm worried I'll come off the antibiotics and it's just going to flare up again. I don't like being on them anyway so desperate to come off them but obviously going to wait till the full course is finished.

Anyway, from someone who had never heard of Blepharitis I'd be grateful for any help or advice/reassurance any of you can throw my way. I'm currently using a hot compress flannel in water with a few drops of tea tree oil, twice a day (when I can manage it, sometimes it's just the once...). I do that for about 5 mins, then I rub both top and bottom eyelids in circular motions then I use cotton buds soaked in warm water to wipe both tops and bottoms of the eyelids. No idea if it helps really but feels like I'm doing something at least!

Sorry for such an essay of a post. Thankyou if you've managed to get this far!!

Missy

[unicorn]

Ey up Missy!

Sorry your trip to Scotland ended in conjunctivitis - poor you. It sounds like you're doing all the right things to help your eyes and there is every chance you will be just fine once the doxycycline's finished.

I can really relate to the no-makeup thing. I have gone from someone who was wearing contact lenses and pretty much a full face of makeup every day, to someone who is wearing glasses, no makeup and has chronically bloodshot eyes - all in the space of about three or four months. It has had a terrible effect on my self-esteem - not only do my eyes feel dry and irritated (especially in the evenings), making me not want to go out, but also I just feel so ugly that I can't even face seeing friends. I might look into getting some special hypo-allergenic makeup (not Clinique etc, they are just as bad as the rest, but there are companies that specialise in all-natural products that seem to be well tolerated).

If you keep up with the lid hygiene measures you've been doing you may well never really be bothered by your blepharitis again, and even if it does flare up from time to time, you seem to be doing well at keeping it under control. You could maybe look at getting a flaxseed or wheat eye bag (try www.wheatybags.co.uk) - easy to pop in the microwave and stays a nice even temperature for you to do your warm compresses. For eyelid cleaning you can get products like Blephasol or Sterilid. Some people use baby shampoo diluted in water but it can be potentially irritating to the eyes.

Good luck!

[Missyburd]

Thankyou so much for your reply unicorn! Very reassuring I know exactly what you mean about feeling ugly. People who are used to going around with no makeup think I'm being silly about it but when you cringe everytime you pass a mirror in the house/shops it really is confidence/knocking. I normally have a fringe when I have eyeliner on but I just cannot stand myself with a fringe and no makeup so I've taken to wearing bandana things to keep my fringe out of my eyes (I was doing this with conjunctivitis anyway to prevent reinfection). I think this is meant to be better for my blepharitis anyway, reduces the flakes of skin from my scalp falling near my eyes... My latest doctor also asked me if I was using anti-dandruff shampoo too, thankfully I've been using it for the last few months anyway due to having a flaky scalp (yuk) and so that was ok. I need to find another one though so I can change...I use Vosene at the moment, any recommendations?

I also have a slightly off topic question concerning Doxycycline, I'm worried about contracting thrush and other fungal infections but as I'm towards the end of my course now with no sign am I pretty safe? Would I be contracting such infections already while taking it if I was going to?

[unicorn]

I don't know much about the links between dandruff and blepharitis... as I understand it you can have a seborrheic skin type which can cause dandruff and blepharitis symptoms. There are some members on here who will be much more knowledgeable about this and I am sure they will chime in with some advice! I have heard that if dandruff on the scalp is treated it can help ease blepharitis symptoms too.

I would have thought that as you are near the end of your course of doxycycline with no adverse effects you should be ok - some people like to take pro-biotics or pre-biotics as a supplement while they are on these medicines to re-balance the bacteria in the gut.

[Missyburd]

Aye, I'm just eating a lot of probiotic yoghurt so hoping that is helping. Thanks for all your help!

[Missyburd]

So I was hoping I wouldn't have to post on here again, everything was looking so good. I finished aforementioned course of antibiotics and so since mid August I've been happily wearing eyeliner and not needing to do compresses etc and life has been back to normal. Yippeeee must have been a one off thing...or so I thought...

I've been careful to stick to using the one brand of make up wipe (well actually it's a baby wipe I use). Then yesterday I knew I still had a couple of packs of wipes from a different brand that I used to use...Not one to waste them I used one to take my eyeliner off. This morning I notice that familiar redness under my bottom eyelid. One side has itched a bit this evening too. So I have a very strong suspicion that I've set off the blepharitis again. Back to the compresses I guess. Though I really can't stand the thought of wandering about with no makeup again. Should I be going back to the docs for more antibiotics seeing as that's what saw it off the last time? Or just waiting to see if it eases off again when I take up the hot compresses?

Aaargh I was so enjoying living life with normal eyes, though always dreading looking in the mirror every morn. Meh

[littlemermaid]

Hello Missyburd, I'm thinking you could try shifting this yourself in the shower/bath with the teatree oil warm water cleaning regime again, if it's blockage and bacterial or there's a bit of a fungal thing or demodex going on, as Unicorn was saying in dandruff.

Sounds like either a hygiene thing, or maybe allergic/bacterial off those wipes, doesn't it. I'm thinking you're thinking you need to rethink your eyemakeup remover and stop using nasty chemicals round the eyes. My daughter is very sensitive (rosacea) and the derm (Prof) recommended the Simple range (supermarkets, v cheap) because it has minimum allergens yet does the job. I think the eyemakeup remover's gentle but gets right in there, but that's for when your eye's better.

Baby wipes are nasty perfumed things with chemicals designed for shifting something very different, aren't they (plus great for carpet stains); not good for anyone's mucous membranes. No way would I have my daughters put them near their eyes, lovey Having said that, I do remove makeup with cotton wool + the mineral babyoil, then wipe again with clean cotton wool + warm water, and that feels good on my crepey old eyeskin, but this ain't your age group.

I would PM Unicorn and have a chat about keeping makeup sterile like the professionals do - she's knows how to do this not just sharpening eyeline pencils etc but spraying with alcohol.

Meanwhile, if it doesn't clear over the weekend (3 days), it's straight down the doc Monday for, at least, topical antibacterials (preservative free).

Plus if you've got a tendency to blepharitis now, you need to keep up a manageable steamy flannel in the bath/shower regime ongoing and maybe think about how animal fat diet might clog your lipids. Also if Vosene shampoo doesn't have an antifungal, maybe consider using eg Head & Shoulders sensitive maybe eg twice a week because that kills a few more bugs. Some of us also rotate with teatree shampoo because, again, that kills/controls a few more bugs. Also change the pillowcase and sheets every couple of days for a bit, 60 degree wash plus ironing, which stops cross-infection. If LM has a rosacea flareup we change every day till sorted. Fresh towel/flannel everyday (60 degree wash). Dump the offending eyeliner and anything else past 3m inc wipes, get a posh new hypoallergenic one when you're sorted.

That's my twopenn'orth. Let us know if it gets better fast and t'job's a good'un, or if it's down the docs again http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Blephar...roduction.aspx

[LyndaT]

Dear Missyburd,

A friend and my self were able to kill Blepharits. My friend's Blepharitis moved up onto her eyelids. She used an
Avon facial scrub with Benzethonium Chloride in it. I could not find that for sale any longer so looked on line as to what other products has Benzethonium Chloride in them. I ended up using WET ONES, antibacterial hand wipes, in the red box.
Someone told me that they went to a chemist and the chemist would order him something with Benzethonium Chloride in it. I asked him if he knew any one in the US that could send him some.
I tore each wipe into 8 sections and rubbed each eyelash area 2 times each (with new section) 4 times a day for a week and a half. I then went down to 3 times a day (eyes felt so much better) for a month. After that, I went down to 2 times a day for several months. It itched once or twice after that and I jumped on it with the wipes for a day or two and then it was gone.
There were 3 doctors who looked into my eyes and could not find the Blepharitis. One was the Dr. who diagnosed the Blepharitis.
There is a way that you can wear mascara and not re-infect your eyes too. You need to buy throw away wands (on internet) and cosmetic applicators (from drug store). Buy new makeup and never put a used anything back into the makeup or mascara.
I washed each eye with a separate washrag so as to not re-infect either. I used white so that I could wash with bleach.
This worked for 2 people using 2 different products that both had Benzethonium Chloride in them.
The Dr. did say to use eye drops for lubrication and flax and fish oil capsules. He also said to use a warm cloth in the morning ( I make it hot) on the eyes to get things going. This is really quick to do and can carry in your purse with you if out and need to do away from home.
I learned that Blepharitis can move to other areas of the eyes (my friend's example for one) so it is serious.
Hope this information helps you.
LyndaT