Cleansing lids really works, there's an easy way

[TheBride]

I was instructed to put a really hot washcloth over my eyes 1-2 times a day. All that did was make my eyes look puffy all around, I hated it. Then told to use some really treacherous tea-tree product that burned like Hades and inflamed my eyes. Didn't do anything but cause me daily dread. After years of experimenting, I found a much more effective way: In the shower, take a sequestered face cloth and hold it over your eyes, don't press or rub, maybe for 5 seconds gently massage--just soften them up. Not too long! When you get out of the shower, as soon as you can, fill a tiny container (I use disposable plastic shot glasses) with very hot tap water. Take a q-tip and do this: Dip one q-head in hot water and then rub rub rub your margins. Go back and forth, unlodge any debris and work it until any debris is away from the lids. Do this with top and bottom. Don't dip the used q-head again. If you have to, dip the other q-head and repeat the hot water cleans. Now your margins are nice and softened. After the debris is unlodged, squirt a fresh q-head with your favorite OTC cleanser (I like an ocusoft product) and spread it on the margins of the cleaned eye. Leave it there to dry. Do the same with the other eye. So, my rules are: use a q-tip to soften JUST the margins (that's where it matters). Don't reuse a q-head. Use a cleanser that is leave-in and doesn't burn like Hades. I no longer have dry eyes and my eyes are generally white again! Good luck.

[gilles]

So what you basicly propose is lid debridement, right?
What do you specifically mean with 'eyelid margin'? Is it the posterior part - also called 'line of Marx' - where the glands are (see image), or the lash line where the eyelashes are. The reason why I ask is because I think I read you should be cautious with rubbing this margin, as scar tissue could form which could block the gland.
When I use to rub this margin with a q-tip, dripped in blephasol, I became very light sensitive.

How long have you been doing this 'lid debridement' with success?

[TheBride]

Hi, I do most on the lash line, and very gently over the place where the gland openings are. I don't rub the glands, I run the qtip over that part with the warm water. Sometimes I run a qtip with a hypochlorus acid eye formulation over the glands, just to do a cleanse, not often. I DO put much more activity into the base of the lashes after hot water and with hot water on the qtip. I was afraid to be aggressive with the lashes, but I truly do not lose them. I lost more lashes before I had dry eyes. I very much agree with you that harsh and aggressive rubbing on the "line of Marx" could cause swelling. I don't have light sensitivity. I do have floaters, but that's more related to age (they come and go, selenium has helped that). I once had a LipiFlow treatment and it was--for me--excellent.

[TheBride]

I have been using the qtip and hot water process for almost a year. I will never go back to over-heating my entire ocular area again, for me it was unnecessary and left me looking like I'd been crying for days. And those harsh tea-tree products were a horror. I dreaded it, and it didn't fix my dry or red eyes. In fact, those products made the redness worse.

[gilles]

I've been cleaning the margin of my eyelids again also, with a q-tip dripped in blephasol, and have to admit that it might have a positive result. It's an ideal way to remove the white cappings that sometimes form on the glands. And if I am not mistaken, there is a commercial (and expensive) therapy called 'blephex' that does the same thing.
I am not sure how many times one should/could do this debriment. I've been doing it again twice a day since two weeks, but might just try to do it every other day.

[TheBride]

I'd say I average 5X a week. Again, I'm pretty gentle, but persistent. I've had the manual debridement before the Lipiflow and that was fairly gentle, too, but the instrument is kind of scary. Never use the qtip dry! That will surely be far too stressful for the gentle skin. When I went to my dry-eye doctor, she was pretty amazed at how well my glands were doing and she asked what I was doing to keep them open. I told her and she said it was worth her sharing with others. At that time, I was using the 02% hypochlorous solution to wipe the glands down. Now I'm using a foaming product that is leave-on. I find it really cleanses the lashes much, much better. Although, about 2x a week I do use the hypochlorous solution also. I don't like to use brand names because sometimes it's not allowed on forums.

[TheBride]

I also use Eyepeace, which is great. I don't use it too often, but often enough. It feels wonderful and the oils just flow right out of the glands nicely.