Allergic Blepharitis Treatment PLEASE HELP

[Guy]

Hello,

For 2 years I have had BIG problems with terrible burning, sore eyes. I cannot bare it any longer and am basically going to have to kill myself if I can't get it to go away. I've been told by multiple ophthalmologists that it is due to Blepharitis, I have been treated with hot compresses, cleaning lid margins, artificial tears, lubricants, antibiotics, etc. etc. And nothing has worked, my opth suspected allergy.

I recently saw an allergy specialist who did a pin prick test, I'm allergic to dust mites among other things. The problem is he's prescribing me non-steroidal anti-inflammatorys, I've already had two different steroid anti-inflammatorys for the inflammation by two different opth's, both were very suprised when the drops had no effect. I'd assume non-steroidal are weaker and aren't going to produce a drastically different outcome?. I don't think the allergist knew i've had these previous treatments. Should I call and ask to be given antihistamine pills/drops such as allegra and patanol?, or are non-steroidal anti-inflammatorys still a better course of treatment despite me having things such as a strong month-long dexamethasone treatment in the past. My instincts tell me I should be getting antihistamines.

Thank you very much for any responses, I'm so desperate for relief.

P.S one other thing I was pondering earlier, was if theres a possiblity my bio washing powder could be irritating my eye eyelids?

[mclaire66]

hello, i can sympathize my eyelids are also inflamed and painful, dr said it was allergy related and am going for allergy testing, he suggested cold packs instead of heat packs which is helping as i am trying to get off the steroid drop since i think it's doing more harm than good in my case--for inflammation due to allergy i'm under the impression cold compresses can help a great deal if you want to try them, good luck, hope you feel better...

[Meebo]

interesting. does regular soap (e.g. irish springs) soap bother you at all?

I noticed that when i began using cetaphil most of my symptoms went away.

[jlg_uk]

Hello,

For 2 years I have had BIG problems with terrible burning, sore eyes. I cannot bare it any longer and am basically going to have to kill myself if I can't get it to go away.

Hi Guy,

Yep - know how that feels. I'm in a similar position, though I'm coping at the moment. Not much fun having your life made miserable by eyes that are always sore and limit what you can do is it.

Steriod drops didn't seem to do much for me either. I have an appointment with an allergist tomorrow funnily enough (my first). Do your eyes/eyelids itch much?

P.S one other thing I was pondering earlier, was if theres a possiblity my bio washing powder could be irritating my eye eyelids?

I thought that myself - esp if you have sensitive skin (and I guess that you may very well do). I switched and it hasn't cured me, but I'd say it's worth a go.

Also you might want to try some moisture goggles - you can get a cheap pair of onion goggles (search the forum for more info) to see if some proper ones would help.

Good luck

[sazy123]

Hi Guy, im from the UK also, you sound like you are in the same position as me. I also have suicidal thoughts constantly because of this because it completely limits everything i can do!

I have really inflammed inner eyelids, eye doctors in the past were surpised that steroids did nothing also!! Ive thinkive tried NSAI- i think those are the same as allergy eye drops arent they?

I have also had allergy testing which came back with nothing! im going again next week to get a test for chemical sensitivities because thats the only thing i havent tested against. The doctors usualy try to blame it on allergies but im not convinced, ive had no luck with anything allergy related. I think much more likely vascular damage (ocular rosacea related). Which gives the same appearence as allergies but theres a gap between othmology and dermatology so eye doctors dont recognise it imo, i dont think they get training for it.


I also tried antihistamines which did nothing, air puriyiers, elimintating dusts etc etc and every allgery eye drop going!

Is Non steroid eye drops the same as allergy? How long are you allowed to stay on it? Im not sure ive tried that one.

[clioos]

Chemical Sensitivities

Sazy,

I'm fairly new to the website and have only posted a few questions but have read a lot of posts including yours. I live in the Northeast, US with what can be cold, dry winters.

Your condition sounds so much like mine and everytime I read your post I believe it more.

My eyelids get so sore that it's like torture. Especially my left upper eyelid.

I have MGD and ocular rosacea with 0 moisture in both eyes. My opthalmologist has suggested that I have multiple chemical sensitivities because everything he prescribes disagrees with my eyelids. It is extremely painful and depressing. Is this the rosacea or some other sensitivity? Certain foods bother my eyelids also.

It really has me concerned and would like to hear from you regarding your test results for chemical sensitivities (if you're OK with that). It may become informative to GUY also. Do you go to a Dermatologist or an Allergist for this testing? I've already ruled out some allergies.

Best regards with your testing and I hope to hear from you.

Thanks, Clio

[Guy]

Hi, thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm not particularly interested in cold compress and goggles, I can't see any dramatic result from treating the symptoms that way, thanks for the help though.

Hi Guy, im from the UK also, you sound like you are in the same position as me. I also have suicidal thoughts constantly because of this because it completely limits everything i can do!

I have really inflammed inner eyelids, eye doctors in the past were surpised that steroids did nothing also!! Ive thinkive tried NSAI- i think those are the same as allergy eye drops arent they?

I have also had allergy testing which came back with nothing! im going again next week to get a test for chemical sensitivities because thats the only thing i havent tested against. The doctors usualy try to blame it on allergies but im not convinced, ive had no luck with anything allergy related. I think much more likely vascular damage (ocular rosacea related). Which gives the same appearence as allergies but theres a gap between othmology and dermatology so eye doctors dont recognise it imo, i dont think they get training for it.


I also tried antihistamines which did nothing, air puriyiers, elimintating dusts etc etc and every allgery eye drop going!

Is Non steroid eye drops the same as allergy? How long are you allowed to stay on it? Im not sure ive tried that one.

Hi, sorry to hear you're having to deal with this sh*t too. No antihistamines are generally what people consider "allergy drops", rather than Non steroidal eye drops. But they seem to still be used for inflammation, if your allergy test came back as nothing I think its less likely it's due to allergy, whereas mine seems that I do have an allergy.

interesting. does regular soap (e.g. irish springs) soap bother you at all?

I noticed that when i began using cetaphil most of my symptoms went away.

When I was trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I thought about what could cause this, I know it isn't food, I just tried non-bio (doesn't seem to be doing anything), seems like it may be dust, but my shower gels are something I'm considering, my skins generally a bit dry and tight feeling after a shower, not abnormally, but I figure if this stuffs getting in my eyes it could be the cause, so I ordered natural washing products.

So basically my last two things to try are antihistamines and different soap/shampoo/etc. I'll let people here know if I have any success...

[NancyH]

Hope I can help

You sound like me.I was doing the whole thing doryx antibiotics,warm compressers,lid cleansing,flaxseed oil,and my eyes looked tired,RED,awful.I was told it could be blepharitis or Malfunction of the oil glands etc etc.It was ruling my life so I just thought ,it can't be any worst and I felt that my eyes needed time to fix themselves,maybe I was upsetting the natural tears ,maybe I was accidently getting the cleansing solution in the eye.I gave up and thought THAT"S IT!So I stopped everything except 3 things:I wash my face as normal then using cooled boiled water I dip a cotton bud in it and clean the eyelash line carefully(because boiled water can't hurt),3 times a day I put preservative free artificial tears any type,and try to bear up to the rest of the day so my eyes can learn again to compensate on their own.At night I put some drops in and put ice in a small esky with a bowl of iced water sitting on top of the ice.I get 2 gauze pads,wet them in the ice water squeeze,then place on eyes and go to sleep.During night when it drops off I just dip into ice water again and reapply.I have been doing this for the last week and my eyes have been the best they have been for ages.I think you got onto the same rollercoaster as me of doing too much,and it's so hard to use those cleansers without getting some in the eye.Also it can't hurt to take a week or two of oral antihystamines to see if that fixes it as well.You might be allergic to dust but why has it happened all of a sudden? cheers Nancy from Aussie

[NancyH]

nsai explanation

I am from Australia and here anyway NSAI is "non steroidal anti inflammatory".If someone asks for that it is not an antihistamine we give , it is ibroprofen or nurofen or voltarin.I work in pharmacy.Hope that helps.Nancy

[skygoddess]

www.ophthalmologia.be/download.php?dof_id=217

This is an interesting article that may help you identify the source.
But you really need the testing, since contact allergic reactions can occur days after exposure.
I went down the same path for two years of HELL.
Detergent may most definitely be a problem as well as dozens of things.
Mine are rubber, shampoos, hair products, soaps,fragrances, and more.
I finally had the TRUE test for contact allergies performed,
got serious about finding and eliminating the allergens, and can now report I am 1000% better

Good luck

[pjcortes]

Hi Skygoddess,

What is the true test for contact allergies? I had an allergist do a skin test last year for indoor and outdoor allergens, but there were not food allergies or any chemicals tested. Nothing really came up on this test. How do we have these other things tested? I mentioned this to my regular doctor yesterday, and she kind of shrugged it off. I was curious about flouride in the water. 2 weeks before my eye ordeal started (13 months ago) they started flouridating the water in the city where I live. My doctor said she really doubted there was any connection. It seems like it would be a long shot, but who knows, how do you wake up one day with such severe dry eye symptoms, never noticing your eyes much before this.

Thanks,
Jennie

[dave25]

I have blepharitis and have been told that I have allergies as well. I have done allergy testing and found that I am slightly allergic to dust mites, so I make sure my sheets are clean and try to keep everything as clean as possible.

I found something very interesting on this site a few months ago. In this video there was this doctor talking about saponification. Basically he was saying that our body turns a chemical produced by bacteria into a soapy substance that is 99% similar to Ivory soap. This substance sits there in our eyes and that's why a lot of times it feels like we have soap in our eyes. Because we actually do! I found this interesting because when I was a kid I was ALLERGIC to Ivory soap. Maybe this is causing an allergic reaction and therefore it looks like I have allergies in my eyes. I don't know for sure, but it's something I would like to look into further.

Also, I have had blepharitis for going on 5 years, I am 26 and got it when I was 21, it's been the most difficult thing to deal with in my life, but I have found routines that have helped me a lot. The most important thing is to find what works for you and stick to that routine. For me it's been a combination of Dr. Latkany's routine, prescription eye drops, and artificial tears.

[skygoddess]

http://www.truetest.com/

This should give you some info. I would look first at likely sources. Shampoo , conditioner, soap, laundry soap. Nail products, fragrance and nickle allergies ( car keys) are most common.

Experiment with not using soaps or shampoo for a couple of days.
Wash your bed linens in plain hot water first, since any allergens are already on the sheets and towels. You can even have a reaction to touching someone who has used products you are allergic to.
I realized it was my hair products when I changed "bad eyes" every time I changed my part.

For myself ,I have several mild and a couple of severe allergies.
I got huge improvement when I really took it seriously, and stopped using any products with my particular problem ingredients in them.
I could have never figured it out with out testing and a good dermatologist .
My Optholomologist never suggested patch testing.

[Meebo]

Sky, awesome post.

I did not shower or really eat for 3 days a while ago and felt amazing. I had a great week last week but this week has been a little rough. I believe I am extremely sensitive to soaps/fragrances, etc. I also believe I am very sensitive to dust mites. Not sure about food allergies, but anything is possible.

For everyone that I have been speaking with on this forum, I am getting allergy testing done on Monday. I am telling the Dr. to prick me with every single possible test he has. Jab, inject, stick me, slap me, punch me, make me eat it, rub it all over myself, whatever it takes to find out if I'm allergic to it.

I am sick of this and feel that allergies are a main culprit. While I know ocular rosacea has been the diagnosis, I have had multiple amazing days in a row, and I almost want to be 100% that there are things I am doing or coming in contact with that aggravates the "feel good" spells I have.

[skygoddess]

Just realize that standard allergy tests do not identify contact allergies. For that you need TRUE test patch testing.