Gritty eyes - any suggested remedies?

[dijon84]

Hi all

I posted recently that things have been getting better for me lately, but in the past week the eyes have got slightly worse. I'd be grateful for any advice on remedies, long term or short term, to help the gritty eye sensations that I get virtually all the time. The grittiness is always there to some degree - sometimes I barely notice it but other times it does have a big effect on me. Any other advice on how to heal my condition would be much appreciated. I'm 28 now so quite young for all this and really want to get it sorted.

My diagnosis is seborrheic blepharitis and MGD since early 2011. I also get dandruff and acne to a mild degree - this has been since I was a teenager so quite a long time.

The main sensation that I do get is this grittiness, particularly when blinking. I very rarely getting the burning eye sensation.

Other symptoms that I can see when I look in the mirror are:
- a few white specks on the end of the eyelashes after I wake up in the morning (I know this happens to blepharitis sufferers - does it happen to anyone who doesn't have blepharitis?)
- the eyelid skin looks and feels greasy
- the base of the eyelashes are white. This does not look like debris - it looks more like depigmentation of the eyelashes.
- the eyelid margin looks slightly more red than it should be. Eg for the lower lids, I'm talking about the area just above the base of the eyelashes
- visible MGD - white splodges at the entry of the MGs.
- red lines and general redness in the inside of the lid. My ophthamlogist referred to this in a letter to my GP as 'left papillary inflammation of the lids'. Eg I would see this in the inside of the lower lids if I pulled the lower lid down (like I would to put in eye drops). This is a pic I posted last year to show the inside of the lids at around May 2012 - things haven't changed much since then. I imagine that the inside of the upper lids looks similar to the lowers.


For a cleaning routine, I've been using Blephaclean type wipes in the morning and evening. Or I've been splashing cold water several times on the lids and wiping them with a tissue. Sometimes in the shower I use aveeno moisturising soap to clean the lid margins.

Supplements I am currently taking daily:
- Multivitamin
- Probiotic (20 billion CFU)
- Vitamin C (sustained release)
- Garlic tablets
- Flaxseed oil capsules
- Fish oil capsules
- Vitamin D and Vit K2 (I've tried this for a few weeks in case I'm vitamin D deficient)
- N Acetyl Cysteine
I also drink a small amount of apple cider vinegar diluted with water each morning and evening.

Other notes:
- From a recent visit to the ophthamologist, she said I don't have demodex mites (100% certain of this)
- I've tried various things (warm compresses, massage, cleaning with other products etc). Some I have tried long term, others not. I'm willing to try things again if that would help me.
- EDIT: I should have mentioned that I was on steroid drops for about 6 weeks at the start of 2013. Of course my ophthamolgist was monitoring me during that time. I started off using the drops several times a day, then gradually down to 2-3 times per week.

Thanks
Dave

[BigNate]

Dave,

This is just a complete guess, but maybe it might help if you took lactoferrin. Do you currently drink milk? There have been studies done that show that lactoferrin creates a thicker layer of tear (if I understand correctly). Maybe if your tear film was thicker, the grit wouldn't be so noticeable?

I too have gritty eyes. I have blepharitis but have never noticed dandruff on my eyelashes although I have a ton on my head. I guess the huge question is where are these gritty things coming from? My first answer is always demodex but then you say you are certain you dont have an issue with them so there goes that idea. Good luck.

[dijon84]

Hi - thanks for your reply BigNate. Yes, I currently drink milk, albeit I am trying a milk at the moment that is lactose-free - just to see if there is any impact for me over regular milk. I will check out the lactoferrin theory for sure though, thanks for that.

I heard a theory that what is physically going on with the gritty eyes is that the MGs are inflamed / irritated hence, so are perhaps larger than they should be so rub against the eyeball while blinking. Just a theory though.

I am thinking that the yeast malassezia furfur is also involved somehow.

[BigNate]

I have read about this yeast briefly but don't really know anything about it. Is there something in particular that makes you feel like it is associated with the gritty feeling?

[LaDiva]

Usually gritty meant I wasn't using compresses and scrubs regularly and the oil glands were plugged up. What I eat makes a difference too. If I eat processed food or vanilla ice cream, yow! It all leads to plugged glands. Good luck!