Today's tip: Ditch the baby shampoo or dilute it more

[Rebecca Petris]

Many patients & doctors have reported eye irritation from regular use of the traditional baby shampoo "lid scrub", consisting of scrubbing the lid margins with Q-tips dipped in a solution of baby shampoo and water (or some variation on that theme). The shampoo is simply too harsh for many people with chronic dry eye.

Consider not using shampoo or any "detergent" at all. Unisol (unpreserved saline by Alcon) may be a good alternative for sensitive, vulnerable eyes.

If you do use baby shampoo, make sure you are diluting it enough! Most "recipes" I've seen call for at least 7 parts water to 1 part baby shampoo.

[mary kenny badami]

Whoops! did I ever get a misleading image . . .

. . . given the size of my monitor, the title of this thread showed up as: "Today's tip: Ditch the baby . . . "
. . . which left me hugely puzzled about how abandoning one's teeny-tiny children would in any way help a person to cope with dry eyes. . .
. . . and much relieved to read the entire content of Rebecca's post . . . it's the shampoo, the baby shampoo !

[dianat]

...hey, no kidding! I had the same question when I saw the title...only I HAVE a baby. I, of course, would never ditch him. I will admit that if he slept a little better it would be good for my eyes!

[jcorbett]

I like to use very diluted baby shampoo to wash my eyelids. With the eyes closed, just to be clear. When my eyes would get irritated, particularly in spring or in the evening, sometimes just washing the eyelids seemed to help a lot. But I use Unisol to do scrubs.

[indrep]

For those that need a little more cleaning visit www.lidhygenix.com. The surgeon who developed this is a cornea specialist and worked diligently to create a water based cleanser. No stinging, no dilution necessary and seems to be well tolerated by my wife's eyes.

[Judi999]

Hi Rebecca, It's Judi from the Dry Eye Support Group. What do you suggest that is safe to remove mascara that is not irritating? Also, can you commit to come speak at out meeting on September 14, 2009? Please give me a call ASAP as the dates are filling up. Thanks, Judi

Many patients & doctors have reported eye irritation from regular use of the traditional baby shampoo "lid scrub", consisting of scrubbing the lid margins with Q-tips dipped in a solution of baby shampoo and water (or some variation on that theme). The shampoo is simply too harsh for many people with chronic dry eye.

Consider not using shampoo or any "detergent" at all. Unisol (unpreserved saline by Alcon) may be a good alternative for sensitive, vulnerable eyes.

If you do use baby shampoo, make sure you are diluting it enough! Most "recipes" I've seen call for at least 7 parts water to 1 part baby shampoo.

[eva b]

very interesting to see you post this Rebecca...I have long since dropped baby shampoo, after reading the contents on the bottle.

The main agent is SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE - an industrial engine cleaner, and one of the most common ingredients of shampoos of any kind, and even toothpaste and mouthwash!!!!

I won't even use any shampoo containing it in case it gets into my eyes. It's well known to be a skin irritant -which has had me wondering for 2 years why eye doctors keep recommending putting it anywhere near your eyes!!!

don't they read labels, or are they really so ignorant?

the mind boggles!

[irish eyes]

Eva

Many Eye Doctors still push the stuff.

The prognosis on the condition always seems to be negative i.e. `We can't help you with this ' and yet they seem to think that baby shampoo is some kind of panacea.

As the blurb states on a well known brand of baby shampoo:

This mild, tearless formula baby shampoo is as gentle to the eyes as pure water

[Rojzen]

Shampoos without sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate

Eva b: I couldn't agree more about the risks that could well be associated with using commercial baby shampoos, even in dilute form, if they contain dangerous solvents or solutes. A while back, I switched to Burt's Bees baby shampoo, because it's tear-free and does not contain any lauryl or laureth sulfate. . .I suspect there are other health food store baby shampoos that might be similar. The Burt's Bees is expensive, but I use only tiny amounts each day, given the high dilution I prefer for lid hygiene. . .Hence, it is affordable. . .

[elvishthistle]

I use baby shampoo every night and haven't have problems so far. I do it differently though. I put a little drop in my palm and lather it up with water, then I gently wash my eyelids/lashes with the lather. It seems to be diluted enough this way. I am still curious about the saline though, so I will be checking that out.

[EllMitcho]

I think I prefer the 'ditch the baby' theory . I can confirm that a teething 18 mth old is not good for sleep = not good for eyes!

C'mon people ditch those babies! It works! You have tried everything else right? The little guy has to go!

To add to the debate - I wet the end of my q-tip with a drop from my preservative free drops before my lid 'scrub' then use the remaining to flush out any debris - seems to work for me. Sometimes I use the q-tip dry for extra 'friction'* (good for blasting* away blocked glands in my experience.)

* Disclaimer: don't blast anything into or cause friction on your eyes. No don't. Seriously.