blepharitis pain and discomfort with eyelids and eyelashes

[GibsonGK55]

Hi,

Just found this forum and like others I am sure, I am seeking information to help my problem. I've had this eye problem since I was a child for almost forty years now. My eyelids are never comfortable and I move my eyes around trying to find comfort all the time and it is annoying. So much that at times it gives me headaches. My eyelashes are sore at the root and many times I have to pull some out almost daily. I have small bumps on my eyelids that hurt too.

I have been to many specialists over the years and of course when I was a child nobody knew anything about this. I have been diagnosed with blepharitis, depression and also trichotillomania. I have used ointments such as eurythomyacin ointment, eyelid scrubs, eye drops, and electrolysis. Nothing seems to help. I have been on anti depressants in the past and they never helped. I never really took vitamins much in my life and read somewhere about that could be a problem. So just this week I started taking some vitamins and some steroid eye drops. After a few days with the vitamins I feel a little better but of course it is too early to know if there is any substantial proof that it will change anything.

My eyesight seems to be fair, it use to be perfect but now as I am getting older I can't read small print any more. Is there anything new out there that you might suggest me trying.

Thank you for reading,

Gibs

[littlemermaid]

GibsonGK55: Like you, we are hoping the doctors will find better treatments. My daughter's blepharitis and resulting eye surface problems started age 10 and we saw many specialists before we got a diagnosis. It is sad to hear that you have suffered this so long but a huge relief to hear that your vision has been good. I am hoping that the doctor you are seeing now, who gave you the steroid drops, will give you the best help available. We are using Fluorometholone to control inflammation, as little as possible, to try to avoid cataracts, and antibacterial drops every day. Do you think your short-sightedness could be helped by reading glasses? Some people are finding they can change the consistency of the oils in their meibomian glands by taking omega 3 fish oil capsules, reducing all other fats, to find some relief when meibomian gland dysfunction is the cause. We are trying this but still struggling to contain bacterial infection with antibacterial drops. Bacterial infection could normally be treated by low dose oral antibiotics in a pulse therapy approach.

Best wishes for good progress.

[GibsonGK55]

thanks

Hi Little Mermaid and thank you for your reply. I am not seeing a doctor here but I have read a lot of posts and here I can buy almost any medicine without a prescription which is nice. As there is no cure all we can do is try different things and share whatever information may help others. Any type of eyedrops do not seem to help for every long. After maybe 15 minutes I need more drops or something. I can't leave my eyes along its like a habit because they hurt and are so annoying.

Thanks again for your reply.

Gibs

[littlemermaid]

I understand. We are using Celluvisc as frequently as she needs it to maintain a tear film on the eye surface, which she likes a lot. Also wraparound sunglasses.

You must be extremely careful if you use a steroid drop because it may give you glaucoma from raised intraocular pressure, or cataracts, and it needs monitoring. We use one drop of Fluorometholone a day to control inflammation although we have managed on 3 a week. I read about a woman in Cape Town who used steroids randomly without monitoring and both corneas became opaque, thinned, and inoperable.

Do you want to tell us where is your nearest town and whether there is an optician you like?