Blephamide for Ocular Rosacea

[ema]

A while back my local opthalmologist prescribed Blephamide for me after I was diagnosed with ocular rosacea. He had me on this for many months and I decided to get a second opinion b/c I was hesitant about the side effects. Does anyone know why Blephamide would be prescribed for someone with ocular rosacea? Or, what is Blephamide usually used to treat?

I have tried EVERYTHING for my ocular rosacea and have been debating about going back to this eye doc. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Any help is appreciated as I am beginning to feel hopeless about my eye condition.

Thanks,

[dave25]

I believe blephamide contains sulfur and this is a common ingredient used in rosacea creams so I would imagine it is why a doctor would prescribe it for ocular rosacea. Has it worked for you at all?

If you haven't noticed any improvement after several months of use it may be time to try something else. Also, besides blephamide what else do you do for your eye care regimen?

[ema]

when i received a second opinion about the blephamide i was advised to ween off it since i had been on it for about 6 months. i am not sure if it really helped or not...i think initially it really irritated my eyes more than it helped.

i haven't taken it since feb. now i do lid cleansing, xibrom and lotemax when needed. occasionally i do cold compresses, the warm compresses made my eyes worse and much drier. i did IPL with dr. toyos and had minimal success. my eyes are more moist now, however i still have tons of inflammation. i am considering going back to my original doctor if they will see me again...basically it will be one year later and back to square one. i am beyond frustrated with it all.

i had been on 50mg of doxy, blephamide and restasis for 6-7 months and didn't have a huge difference which is why i tried IPL. i was desperate, this condition made it difficult to work and it had dramatically negatively affected every aspect of my life.

it is just so hard to know what is the best course of treatment for yourself when you hear so many differing opinions and since it takes so long for each treatment to work. i just hope it isn't too late for me to find something that really helps.

what about you, what is your regime?

[sandra lee]

Hi ema

My derm just took me off an ointment that seemed to be helping somewhat and put me on blephamide twice a day rubbed onto my lids.
Seems to be irritating my eyes more and making them drier so your post caught my eye.
I see my new Opthamologist on the 20th and I will ask him about the blephamide and will let you know what he says.
Sorry to hear you aren't getting relief also. Sandy

[dave25]

I use Restasis 4x per day, Acuvail 2x per day, Pataday 1x per day, and take tetracycline 250 mg 2x per day. About a year ago I decided to limit the amount of preservatives I put in my eyes and that seemed to help a lot. You are right though it does take a while for some treatments to start working. How well did you tolerate the Restasis? I noticed a big improvement when I increased the amount of Restasis from 2x per day to 4x per day. Keep trying though, I know it gets exhausting searching for things that work, but if you keep searching you will find something that works for you. You can also pm me if you want more details on my regimen.

[JoeInLA]

Hi Ema,

I'm sorry to hear your IPL treatment with Dr. Toyos was not successful. In addition to an antibacterial (sulphacetamide), Blephamide contains a corticosteroid which reduces inflammation, which is why it would possibly help with dry eye syndrome, given the link between inflammation and the malfunctioning meibomian glands. The problem is that, like other steroids, it is not supposed to be used long-term as it can lead to increased pressure in the eye and glaucoma. I was prescribed Blephamide years ago when I was diagnosed with blepharitis. It definitely reduced the redness, but due to my doctor's concerns about long-term use I only used it occasionally, maybe for two or three days every few months, when the redness got really bad. You can also get sulphacetamide drops without the corticosteroid, although I don't know how much of an effect that would have on reducing inflammation.

Joe