Need advice on Lid care - please help

[JJdryeye]

I started using OcuSOFT Foaming Lid Cleanser about three weeks ago, in conjunction with a rice bag. Within a few days I was amazed at the improvement in my dry eye symptoms. However, these past three days my lids are feeling kind of dried out and irritated. So I'm just wondering how often I just be using the lid cleanser?

I was using it 3x a day. (morning, early afternoon, and before bed). Perhaps I'm stripping away too much oil from the skin?

I'm going to make a new rice bag today as well, as perhaps there is some bacteria or oil on there after three weeks of use.

Also, can anyone give me a good explanation on proper lid massage? What I usually do is a 15 minute rice bag treatment, followed immediately by 1 to 2 minutes of lid massage with a warm wet washcloth. I usually only do the lid massage once a day.

Thanks!

[sporta]

I use the lid scrubs twice a day, morning and before bed. I also do the rice baggy twice daily but only keep it on for about 5 minutes. The new thing I'm doing and really have felt a difference is Dr. Latkany's Home Eye Spa which is using a Q tip after the rice baggy under your lash margins. You can find out how (with illustrations) in his book "The Dry Eye Remedy". I checked it out from the local library.
Good luck!
Stephanie

[stella]

I only use ocusoft once in 24 hours - and i rinse it off with water after use It is really only a kind of "soap" which is non irritating to the eyes
I have very dry lids and after eyelid hygiene i use antibiotic ointment on the lid margins and vasaline on the outer lids
This is done last thing at night as it leaves your eye lids greasy
I find by morning they are ok and i dont wash my lids again until that night- That way my lids feel moisturized all day,otherwise i would have very dry lids

[Ariel]

I personally never understood why most of you can't get past the idea of using Q-tips for eyelid hygiene. If you examine through a microscope the scales and debris that form on the lid margins and around the eyelashes you'll know the sloppy cleansing job shown on this video can only be useless.

http://www.goodhope.org.uk/departmen...lepharitis.htm

A Q-tip, for starters, wasn't built for swiping anything, particularly the curved lid margins and the space in between the lashes it can't even get to. On top of being unfit for the job, its hard, cotton surface is also too abrasive so rubbing it along our eyelids will irritate the skin.

I use a tiny make-up brush which I dip in preservative-free saline while swiping. As it is made of soft hair it easily adapts to the curved contour of the lid margin, picking up and carrying away all the crusty scales stuck on them and in between the lashes a Q-tip would have no way of reaching.

[manitobaskyline]

Make sure you are really rinsing good after you scub your lids.

[irish eyes]

I use a tiny make-up brush which I dip in preservative-free saline while swiping. As it is made of soft hair it easily adapts to the curved contour of the lid margin, picking up and carrying away all the crusty scales stuck on them and in between the lashes a Q-tip would have no way of reaching.

If you are talking about the little brushes (or wands) that are used for mascara, I use those too.

They are cheap to buy but if I'm running low, I sterilise a few old ones and off we go again.

Q tips have their place but they're a bit on the bulky side - it's like trying to create something small & delicate using inappropriately sized kit.

[Súil Eile]

Irish Eyes,
Where do you buy those brushes? I've never seen ones that look like mascara wands for sale. They sound ideal for lid scrubs (though maybe a little rough?). I can't manage q-tips properly, they seem far too cumbersome. Sometimes when I'm using cleaning wipes I roll the wipe up and use the end to clean along my lash line.

[irish eyes]

Hi there

I buy them from a hair and beauty supplier but they can be purchased online.

Here is one supplier (as an example) but I haven't used these people myself.

http://www.beautyexpress.co.uk/produ...-x-25-PE64.htm

You have to go gently with this. I've had lots of practice and I'd be lost without a magnifying mirror.

Baby shampoo is a real no-no because it is too harsh so I often use simple warm water and salt. Products such as Lid-care and Ocusoft are not ideal for me either. Could be my imagination but I think they were exacerbating the problem when I tried using them again quite recently. My consultant advises me to keep things simple.

[Ariel]

That's insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those brushes are a million times more abrasive than a Q-tip.

I use a soft brush of up to 1cm in thickness.
You want to caress the eyelid as you sweep off the grime.

http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en...w=1067&bih=484

[irish eyes]

That's insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/url]

There's no need for this kind of response.

[boston]

I only use ocusoft once in 24 hours - and i rinse it off with water after use It is really only a kind of "soap" which is non irritating to the eyes
I have very dry lids and after eyelid hygiene i use antibiotic ointment on the lid margins and vasaline on the outer lids
This is done last thing at night as it leaves your eye lids greasy
I find by morning they are ok and i dont wash my lids again until that night- That way my lids feel moisturized all day,otherwise i would have very dry lids

Stella, try Aquafor. Its a combination of the two.
I have been using all natural organic castor oil for a few years now for the same application you use the vaseline and ointment, before bed, although I sometimes apply throughout the day as well.