New to MGD...what to do?

[blessings]

Wanted to comment on the mineral oil and the petroleum jelly cloggging the meibomian glands. How do you know this is the cause?

Hey I just ran into something amazing, I have had blepharitis for a long while now, the inflammation has been caused by the nighttime ointment I have been using that has mineral oil in it. Make sure to check to see if mineral oil is the cause of your blepharitis.

I believe Now I'm going to follow rebecca's route and Switch to Genteal-gel with the Rubber moisture chamber goggles for nighttime use. I mean I think the mineral Oil and the petroleum jelly in the nighttime ointment I have using has been clogging the glands for some time, and causing the inflammation on me. I would check that out to see if the inflammation could be caused by mineral oil sensitivity. Make sure you check that out...something recently I found out today that was a cause of my MGD/Blepharitis after 3 years.

[blessings]

What a cylce of bacteria and inflammation. Maybe a good probiotic would add flora to the gut. Very interesting information. I would realy like to solve the cycle and prevent the meibomian glands from blocking off.

Ill give you the best advice I can 5 years into Meibomian gland Dysfunction and 3 years of research later.

Step 1. Visit A Dry Eye Specialist, There hard to find but look for one, Call rhein medical and ask them who they sold their ****** meibomian gland Duct surgical probe to in your area.

Step 2. Make an appointment with that Doctor, Have the whole 9 yards. Diagnosis, everything find out the severity.
Have him get you on Tetracyclines.

Step 3. For Treatment, and Pain management, go Buy a Visor, and Wrap around safety Glasses. Keeps the wind off your eyes.
Use OTC Eye Drops, NON PRESERVED. Find which one works for you. Also Buy Ocusoft eyelid foam or thera tears foam this made by professionals for this thing, Use this to Wash your eyelids once in the mornings. Also at night if its really dry at night for sleep, you might try using Preservative free Nighttime ointment. This will help... The lesser the mineral oil in it the better. I was sensitive to mineral oil, but thats all they got so inflammation probably still be there. In the mornings, Lid Expression and wash the mineral oil off with the foam. Once a day Don't do it very often,...get a Doc to show you how to do the expression. TAKE OMEGA SUPPLEMENTS FISH OIL DAILY.

ALSO THIS IS BIG, DO NOT USE HOT WET WASHCLOTHS TO DO WARM COMPRESSES< THIS IS DANGEROUS AND DOESN"T DO ANYTHING YOU CAN BURN YOUR EYELIDS CAUSING PERMANENT DAMAGE BE CAREFUL I DID. MAKE SURE YOU GRAB THE PROFESSIONAL THING, FIRE AND ICE PACK FROM REHIN MEDICAL...SAFE, EFFECTIVE

Also, Figure out the Source Of the Inflammation and the Clogging of the Glands...

SEE A DERMATOLOGIST TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE seborrheic dermatitis of the Scalp THIS CAN CAUSE BLEPHARITIS AND MGD IN THE EYES, MAKE SURE YOU GOT CLEAN PILLOW CASES AND BEDSHEETS...

Also Another note, This disease can be caused By preservatives in soap, Medications such as Decongestants or antihistamines, or even allergies, or auto immune disorders...Be sure to rule out all of these, but if its simple inflammation caused by skin infection;

do this for the seborrheic dermatitis of the Scalp. AKA dandruff...

Have the dermatologist give you the effective Shampoo for treatment.
Also, I suggest you go to your General practitioner and Demand for a Stool Diagnostic Test to determine why this happening, have that stool test sent to a lab to determine what micro organisms are causing the inflammation/infected meibomian glands. the Intestinal flora will give you the answers you seek about skin conditions.

If you discover, that the results reveal harmful bacteria and yeast in your gut...that could be the culprit.

Visit a naturopathic doctor, Quit Drinking Fluoridated water to heal the gut, Make sure your eye Doc got you on the Tetracycline and have the naturopathic doc prescribe you enteric coated garlic capsules to battle the yeast. If Demodex is the problem, Use Jojoba Oil on the eyelids to restore moisture while coating the skin in it, DO NOT GET IT IN YOUR EYE. The excess jojoba oil Kills those little Critters the suffocate in it, while the oil heals the skin, its safe cuz there no alcohols in it.

Once Done Eliminate all possibilities of Cause of Inflammation,...INFLAMMATION IS BAD, LONGER YOU GOT INFLAMED MGD, HARDER IT IS TO CURE! THE GLAND FORM SCAR TISSUE OVER THE ORFACES FROM PROLONGED INFLAMMATION I BELIEVE 6 months Longer and you get Atrophy....even after only like 2 to 3 years, The GLands start to Waste Away. SO don't wait. If you got Atrophy or Scar tissue of the glands, Your gonna need Surgery. BUT BEFORE SURGERY ELIMINATE INFLAMMATION Discover cause of problem...after that then

Meibomian gland Duct probing surgery. This May or May not be covered by insurance, like 4,000 dollar procedure out of pocket...and lastly the New Procedure to follow up with it is lipiflow this is a ,2000 dollar procedure...this cures or brings most patients back to normal...Though Cost is expensive...I have heard many stories over the years about nothing Works or Most people try those procedures and it don't fix the problem, the Disease Keep returning...Thats why you got to pinpoint the cause of the problem, rather than treating it...Key is to find underlying skin condition, infection or immune/hormone problems causing the issues in your gland in your eyelids...

9 times out of 10 I have heard from the experts that say this MGD disease is caused by bacteria, it makes the oils in Meibomian gland Dysfunction solidified like tooth paste, thus causing dry eye. However, in my case, It was yeast that were the culprit on top of the bacteria, thus all the antibiotics in the world, wouldn't cure the inflammation in my eyes, and the oil in my glands wasn't like tooth paste but Dried Crusts...This is worst kind because Conventional medicine cannot treat for yeast. They have oral anti fungal medication, but it can cause kidney and liver failure and is only given to aids/cancer patients. Thus if that is your case, like me You have to use alternative medicine to solve the problem without the life threatening side effects of the medications. Beware though, don't take alternative medicine lightly as I did, the stuff is as potent as regular medication.

Lastly, Keep a Good Relationship with Your Dry Eye Specialist.

I hope this answers all your questions as to the disease and what you can do, Let me know if you are successful in getting over this disease. I mean if I could go back in time and know all what i know now I know recovery would be quick...but don't let it go, fight this disease with all you got...Cuz in severe cases Dry eye can cause your eyelids to scratch your corneas causing blindness...its a serious disease! Good Luck to you my friend and gods speed, may you beat this disease!

[Marsen]

MeibomianGlandman: that was very helpful, thank you so much for posting all that info.

Like the OP, I was just diagnosed with MGD and feeling very lost. One of my glands has already scarred and I had no idea I had MGD. Now I have a freaky indentation on my lower lid and no surgery can fix it

I do have seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp and eyebrows, so I see a connection there. I am good with changing pillow cases, but I wasn't good with eyelid hygiene. I will be better now and see if it's the source of inflammation for me. I already take fish oil supplements, eat salmon + sardines + walnuts + fruits + veggies, so there isn't more I can do as far as diet.

I am doing the warm compresses, but they don't unclog my glands and I don't want to express them myself because I read it can damage them further.


Any other advice?

[Dog2012]

I have the same problem but i put genteal gel a lot and this glue lids together keep them close.

I have MGD and what has really helped me is upping my fish oil intake to 2400mg in the am and 2400mg before bed. I also use a foam eye lid cleanser religiously every night (letting is sit on my closed eye lids for 1 minute before washing off) before I go to bed. I also use a heated rice bag before bed for about 10 minutes. I have trouble with my lids staying partially open when I sleep so what has helped is using genteal ointment over my eye lids when I sleep.
My last eye appt the doctor said my lids looked better then they did from the last visit. I still have good days and bad days...who knows why but I continue my daily routine and I have noticed a significant difference in how my eyes feel.

[blessings]

Why do you use tetracycline? I do not have any obvious reason for inflammation causing MGD. I have been told that gland probing could dmage the glands. I am also trying to avoid gland atrophy. Can surgery reverse gland atrophy? Trying to find a Dry Eye Specialist near West Virginia. I will contact Rhein Medical. I am currently using a compunded eye drop, dexamehtazone 0.01% to reduce inflammation, but I need to get to the underlying cause. Have you gotten your MGD under control?

Ill give you the best advice I can 5 years into Meibomian gland Dysfunction and 3 years of research later.

Step 1. Visit A Dry Eye Specialist, There hard to find but look for one, Call rhein medical and ask them who they sold their ****** meibomian gland Duct surgical probe to in your area.

Step 2. Make an appointment with that Doctor, Have the whole 9 yards. Diagnosis, everything find out the severity.
Have him get you on Tetracyclines.

Step 3. For Treatment, and Pain management, go Buy a Visor, and Wrap around safety Glasses. Keeps the wind off your eyes.
Use OTC Eye Drops, NON PRESERVED. Find which one works for you. Also Buy Ocusoft eyelid foam or thera tears foam this made by professionals for this thing, Use this to Wash your eyelids once in the mornings. Also at night if its really dry at night for sleep, you might try using Preservative free Nighttime ointment. This will help... The lesser the mineral oil in it the better. I was sensitive to mineral oil, but thats all they got so inflammation probably still be there. In the mornings, Lid Expression and wash the mineral oil off with the foam. Once a day Don't do it very often,...get a Doc to show you how to do the expression. TAKE OMEGA SUPPLEMENTS FISH OIL DAILY.

ALSO THIS IS BIG, DO NOT USE HOT WET WASHCLOTHS TO DO WARM COMPRESSES< THIS IS DANGEROUS AND DOESN"T DO ANYTHING YOU CAN BURN YOUR EYELIDS CAUSING PERMANENT DAMAGE BE CAREFUL I DID. MAKE SURE YOU GRAB THE PROFESSIONAL THING, FIRE AND ICE PACK FROM REHIN MEDICAL...SAFE, EFFECTIVE

Also, Figure out the Source Of the Inflammation and the Clogging of the Glands...

SEE A DERMATOLOGIST TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE seborrheic dermatitis of the Scalp THIS CAN CAUSE BLEPHARITIS AND MGD IN THE EYES, MAKE SURE YOU GOT CLEAN PILLOW CASES AND BEDSHEETS...

Also Another note, This disease can be caused By preservatives in soap, Medications such as Decongestants or antihistamines, or even allergies, or auto immune disorders...Be sure to rule out all of these, but if its simple inflammation caused by skin infection;

do this for the seborrheic dermatitis of the Scalp. AKA dandruff...

Have the dermatologist give you the effective Shampoo for treatment.
Also, I suggest you go to your General practitioner and Demand for a Stool Diagnostic Test to determine why this happening, have that stool test sent to a lab to determine what micro organisms are causing the inflammation/infected meibomian glands. the Intestinal flora will give you the answers you seek about skin conditions.

If you discover, that the results reveal harmful bacteria and yeast in your gut...that could be the culprit.

Visit a naturopathic doctor, Quit Drinking Fluoridated water to heal the gut, Make sure your eye Doc got you on the Tetracycline and have the naturopathic doc prescribe you enteric coated garlic capsules to battle the yeast. If Demodex is the problem, Use Jojoba Oil on the eyelids to restore moisture while coating the skin in it, DO NOT GET IT IN YOUR EYE. The excess jojoba oil Kills those little Critters the suffocate in it, while the oil heals the skin, its safe cuz there no alcohols in it.

Once Done Eliminate all possibilities of Cause of Inflammation,...INFLAMMATION IS BAD, LONGER YOU GOT INFLAMED MGD, HARDER IT IS TO CURE! THE GLAND FORM SCAR TISSUE OVER THE ORFACES FROM PROLONGED INFLAMMATION I BELIEVE 6 months Longer and you get Atrophy....even after only like 2 to 3 years, The GLands start to Waste Away. SO don't wait. If you got Atrophy or Scar tissue of the glands, Your gonna need Surgery. BUT BEFORE SURGERY ELIMINATE INFLAMMATION Discover cause of problem...after that then

Meibomian gland Duct probing surgery. This May or May not be covered by insurance, like 4,000 dollar procedure out of pocket...and lastly the New Procedure to follow up with it is lipiflow this is a ,2000 dollar procedure...this cures or brings most patients back to normal...Though Cost is expensive...I have heard many stories over the years about nothing Works or Most people try those procedures and it don't fix the problem, the Disease Keep returning...Thats why you got to pinpoint the cause of the problem, rather than treating it...Key is to find underlying skin condition, infection or immune/hormone problems causing the issues in your gland in your eyelids...

9 times out of 10 I have heard from the experts that say this MGD disease is caused by bacteria, it makes the oils in Meibomian gland Dysfunction solidified like tooth paste, thus causing dry eye. However, in my case, It was yeast that were the culprit on top of the bacteria, thus all the antibiotics in the world, wouldn't cure the inflammation in my eyes, and the oil in my glands wasn't like tooth paste but Dried Crusts...This is worst kind because Conventional medicine cannot treat for yeast. They have oral anti fungal medication, but it can cause kidney and liver failure and is only given to aids/cancer patients. Thus if that is your case, like me You have to use alternative medicine to solve the problem without the life threatening side effects of the medications. Beware though, don't take alternative medicine lightly as I did, the stuff is as potent as regular medication.

Lastly, Keep a Good Relationship with Your Dry Eye Specialist.

I hope this answers all your questions as to the disease and what you can do, Let me know if you are successful in getting over this disease. I mean if I could go back in time and know all what i know now I know recovery would be quick...but don't let it go, fight this disease with all you got...Cuz in severe cases Dry eye can cause your eyelids to scratch your corneas causing blindness...its a serious disease! Good Luck to you my friend and gods speed, may you beat this disease!

[BigNate]

Jojoba Oil

Has anyone experienced good results with the Jojoba oil?

Wow MGman ~ Thanks, I am thinking about this. I really appreciate your time. I'm just going to look up some research. Oral antifungals and oral insecticides are available of course for advanced cases, in conjunction with topicals (search PubMed 'Tinea versicolor' for some great work in Tunisia and Ankara on bugs in eyelids causing unresolved blepharitis; particularly in Tunisia ophth and microbiology are working together on previously unidentified bacteria, fungi, amoeba for keratitis and bleph). I'm pretty sure there's an oral + topical oil-based insecticide for your poor cat (teatree is fatal to cats) although I know mites come back if there are systemic problems and that's why vets use vitamin + mineral supplements in addition.

Using oils sounds like a good plan. I always remove eyemakeup with oils rather than detergent. Surprisingly, we've been OK with organic teatree shampoo:warm water 1:50 as an eyecleaner and the bleph has cleared. Dr Scheffer Tseng uses TTO:macademia nut oil 50:50 along the eyelid margin for ongoing prevention after the initial fix http://www.eyeworld.org/article.php?sid=4381. I know TTO is toxic and we are risking sensitivities developing, maybe most things are depending on quantity and exposure, esp with rosacea.

After working in primary schools, I'm a bit of headlice geek. The best technique is to suffocate them with conditioner (leave in hair over 25 mins because that's their breathing cycle through the probiscis) and fine-comb out. Then repeat at 5 day intervals as the eggs hatch. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Head-li...roduction.aspx Just as an example, insecticides don't do the job with them really so I understand what you're saying.

So we are looking at demodex life cycle here. And regimes that prevent things developing. This is why I like your jojoba oil idea for maintenance although I would like to poison the little *ers too and I'm not sure jojoba would do it. TTO seems to be the only thing that actually kills them (see Hankm). Washing the bedding at 60 degrees frequently has to be a good plan. Animal demodex is known now to be transferable to people.

It is true some rosacea people get clearance by eliminating fluoride but maybe these are individual sensitivities - maybe it's easier to get testing in the US. Here in UK the docs suggest elimination regimes for intolerance on chemicals and foods, which is flippin' difficult with a teenager. And some rosacea flares up as the face adjusts to different water supplies. http://rosaceagroup.org/new/

Just a few initial thoughts ~ my ophth says he wants 2 refs for every point, so I need to do some homework. Thanks again

[MeibomianGlandman]

MeibomianGlandman: that was very helpful, thank you so much for posting all that info.

Like the OP, I was just diagnosed with MGD and feeling very lost. One of my glands has already scarred and I had no idea I had MGD. Now I have a freaky indentation on my lower lid and no surgery can fix it

I do have seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp and eyebrows, so I see a connection there. I am good with changing pillow cases, but I wasn't good with eyelid hygiene. I will be better now and see if it's the source of inflammation for me. I already take fish oil supplements, eat salmon + sardines + walnuts + fruits + veggies, so there isn't more I can do as far as diet.

I am doing the warm compresses, but they don't unclog my glands and I don't want to express them myself because I read it can damage them further.


Any other advice?

Ok Marsen Heres some good Advice, As Far as Hygiene, When I say Hygiene I mean you got to take care of the infection. Were talking about getting to the bottom of whats causing all that dandruff on your head. Could be the shampoo your using, maybe a preservative in it. Never the less find out what it is thats causing that problems on your head, Jojoba oil could be used sparingly on your scalp to get rid of the dandruff problem, Remember Dry Skin equals Germs...They feed off of it!!! Think how much dead skin must be on that pillowcase!!! Thats one, Yeast such as malassezia furfur and Staph Bacteria are the Two major culprits on the skin for these type of infections, you got to take care of them on both your scalp and your eyelids for it to work, They are what causes your Eyelids Meibomian glands Secretions to solidify. So were talking getting rid of the infection on your head first, thats with special shampoo from a dermatologist. Next to get rid of the infection in your eyelids, and yes its is a skin infection...and lol eye docs are trying to treat it...Sounds silly huh. Anyway Meibomian gland Dysfunction Is what I call THE EYELID ACNE Disease, those glands are much like the sebaceous glands on your face when they become clogged its much like acne thats why you need Oral tetracyclines and Enteric Coated Garlic Tablets to conquer the infection...The gland will stop crusting over you will see the crusts if you have MGD it looks like a small eyelid Pustule. Now as far as expression, do it once and a while...Not everyday or all the time...Give them glands a chance to rest...maybe once every few days, but with the medicine it should clear up that clogging problem. And as far as improving your diet, Good diet is composed of things that will improve gut flora. Only way to do that is to get off the fluoridated Tap water, Along with eating whole Raw foods. But remember without improving your water and getting rid of the fluoride it don't matter what you eat cuz your immune system be taxed from that crap. To express the glands for your right eyelid take you right index finger push the skin on the side of your forehead out so you are making yourself look like you have oriental eyes. Then take the pad of your left index finger, do a sweeping motion over your clothed right eyelid on upper and lower eyelid separately, from nose to side. Check anatomy picture of meibomian glands online you see where there at, it should help you understand how to express them. Gentile yet Firm.

Now as far as unclogging the glands, medicine is the only thing that can clear up that problem along with expression.

If they been inflamed for a long time scar tissue can form over the orfaces and you have to add meibomian gland duct probing surgery on top of professional expression to get them open and working. Like I said tetracyclines and Enteric Coated Garlic tablets Make sure you on both of em...It will help a lot! Let me know how you improve.

[patientpatrick]

question. what's the best temperature for warm compresses and for how long. I've heard lots of things. What works best for you? meaning all of you.

patrick

[MeibomianGlandman]

question. what's the best temperature for warm compresses and for how long. I've heard lots of things. What works best for you? meaning all of you.

patrick

Hey patrick I just got a message back from the Blephasteam peoples, looks like a great invention those folks made...
Lets see what they had to say:

Blephasteam delivers a constant moist heat therapy at around 40°C

(104 degrees fahrenheit)

A constant warming up to >=38°C is vital to liquefy meibum oil and allow the meibum elimination (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?t...m%20compresses)

Animals’ experiments showed that the safety limit for the cornea was a maximal temperature of 45°C for a maximal duration of 15 minutes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?t...0finger%201989, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14636848)

So there you have it folks from the Professionals the Target Temperature for the Baggies is constant 104 degrees, Trust me when you first take the bag out of the microwave the temperature gonna climb so give it time and test the temp more than once you need to see it climb to 104 and not go over that Temp.

Also the Duration is 15 mins, However in the past, I have only done 5 mins, and seen significant results.

After the Heat Lid Expression, you will know you are doing it right cuz your vision will get really blurry.

If you are not doing it right, consult your dry eye Specialist on expression, also if you are doing it correctly and your vision doesn't blur, that could indicate a serious problem.

That could mean the glands have scarred over or there not producing oils. Which means more intake of Fish oils and Get rid of the inflammation, Ie the blepharitis/infection and make sure you get the duct probing procedure evaluation to see if the glands orfaces have formed scar tissue.

You may need to have meibomian gland duct probing surgery if you cannot squeeze anything out I have heard from ****** sometimes that blepharitis is caused from Clogged meibomian glands from scar tissue on em...so it be good to check it out.

Good luck