Tea tree oil anyone?

[Rebecca Petris]

Does anybody have the latest & greatest info on tea tree oil treatment for demodex by chance? source, dilution, etc?

We used to have a lot of demodex chatter on the board years ago but not so much lately. Just trying to find info for someone.

[NeedMyEyes]

Tea Tree Oil

I have an appointment to see Dr. Steven Safran in New Jersey in a few weeks.

According to his secretary, he firsts tests your lashes and adds some "medicine" to them to see if the demodex comes out. If you have demodex, then he treats you.

I believe he uses 50% Macadamia Oil and 50% Tea Tree Oil (really high concentration). He uses topical anesthetic so you don't feel it. He administers the scrub himself to your eyelids.

Then you come back once a week every 4 weeks for an additional scrub. If you live far away he shows you how to do it yourself. However, I think he prefers to do it himself because it can cause an injury if it isn't done correctly.

I think you can order the same Tea Tree oil he uses from Dr. Tseng in Miami, but I am not sure about that.

NME

Edit ---> here is a link to a good article that I got some of this info from: http://www.eyeworld.mobi/current-iss...le.php?id=4219 <--- Edit

[Scout]

Rebecca,

I know this isn’t exactly what you asked, but being the ever-vigilant [over-vigilant?] investigator of allergic or inflammatory skin and eye reactions, I thought it useful to add this . . .

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tea...SECTION=safety

When used on the skin, tea tree oil may cause allergic rash, redness, blistering, and itching. This may be particularly severe in people with pre-existing skin conditions such as eczema. Use of tea tree oil inside of the mouth or eyes can cause irritation.

[patrick]

rebecca,

i use tea tree oil for my daily lid scrubs. my optometrist prescibed it for treating my posterior blepharitis.
i'm not sure,but i think the tea tree oil has some anti bacterial function.
i use a few drops diluted in cup of hot water. i apply it with my fingers. ( i first wash my hands with an anti bacterial hand soap).
i don't rinse the dilution of my eyelids. i just let it dry so the tea tree oil can do its work.
i've been doing this for quite some time now and it doesn't seem to irritate my eyelids and skin in any way so far.
in my case the tea tree oil is not for treating demodex i guess. i'm told that it is only for reducing the amount of bacteria on my eyelids to give the meibomian glands a chance to regain their function.
however,this treatment hasn't been very succesful till now. my tbuts are still in the 6 to 8 seconds range. that is exactly the same as before treatment started.

patrick...

[socratese]

tea tree oil is known to kill even antibiotic resistant bacteria. I used it for a month. You want the tea tree oil to not be too diluted or it will NOT be strong enough. I would'nt use less than 50% tea tree oil concentrate. I would use more. You should use as much as you can stand without it becoming too uncomfortable, as this will vary from person to person.

[patrick]

tea tree oil is known to kill even antibiotic resistant bacteria. I used it for a month. You want the tea tree oil to not be too diluted or it will NOT be strong enough. I would'nt use less than 50% tea tree oil concentrate. I would use more. You should use as much as you can stand without it becoming too uncomfortable, as this will vary from person to person.

hi socratese,

how do you apply the tea tree oil? fingers,q-tip?
do you feel that this treatment has any positive effect? or is using this for a month too short to tell yet?

patrick...

[Another Sarah]

I would personally not put tea tree oil near my eyes. I've tried a tea tree shampoo though. Tea tree oil is a potent antimicrobial - anti fungal, antibacterial, anti vital etc.

[redandsensitive]

Say someone tries TTO for treating this kind of blep. Maybe a 5% solution mixed with almond oil. Is this a once a day thing or once a week think, if you catch my drift? Thx

[patrick]

hmmm, seems to be some confusion about the tea tree oil here.
can you use it near the eyes or any mucous membrane for that matter?
on the package leaflet of the container it says you can't use it anywhere near any mucous membrane.
so thats clear enough. still its prescribed for treating blepharitis. that is a contradiction.
i think key is in which concentration you use it. in the right concentration it might be highly effective and still relatively harmless i guess.
question is what is the best concentration and frequency to use it?
anybody here who has the answer to that?

patrick...

[Another Sarah]

Yes, I had a look at my tea tree oil bottle last night after posting, and it says something like 'contact a poisons department if it comes into contact with your eyes'! I'm assuming that means neat, but it does sound a bit scary.

I guess it probably is OK very diluted in a carrier oil.

[socratese]

I was instructed and used tea tree oil by a very prominent doctor. This is how I did it every day just fine with no problems. pour tea tree oil and water mixture into hand or a cup put fingertips in cup close eyes and then rub your eyelashes with the mixture on your fingertips. let sit for a minute then rinse. keep eyes close tightly so the mixture can get into base of most eyelashes but not into your eyes. I did this with no problem for a month.. ( i didnt need it though because my problem ended up being neuropathy of the surface nerves on my eyes.) (read my thread titled "neuropathy being confused with dry eye")

[patrick]

thanks socratese for your reply.
i guess i apply the tea tree oil the right way and in the right concentration. we'll see what happens.
btw this neuropathy story is very interesting! never heard of it before.
so this can be caused by refractive surgery as well? i had lasek in 2005. was fine the first few years and gradually the pain came and got worse over time.
who is the right person to turn to to have my corneal nerves checked out? opthalomogist or neurologist?
if this neuropathy is the cause of pain,is there any treatment available?

patrick...

[socratese]

Dr rosenthal at boston foundation for sight has a machine that can take pictures of all your corneal nerves. Otherwise, I'm not sure how many opthomologists have this. This may be the same machine that checks the retina so maybe a retina specialist or someone who deals with diabetic neuropathy of eyes. Or maybe a neurologist that deals with the eyes or with neuropathy of the eyes in the case usually of diabetics. If you find a neurologist or an opthomologist that is interested, I strongly suggest that they collaborate with dr rosenthal in boston who is leading research into this problem with his own research team and teaching other doctors.

I will post, in the future, when I find out the doctors that he has trained and the ones who have machines to treat and detect this problem.

[patrick]

thanks socratese!

i'll go do some research here and of course i'll post my findings here on the boards.

patrick...

[Rebecca Petris]

Dr rosenthal at boston foundation for sight has a machine that can take pictures of all your corneal nerves.... This may be the same machine that checks the retina so maybe a retina specialist or someone who deals with diabetic neuropathy of eyes.

It's a confocal microscope and it's used to study only the cornea, not the retina, but it can examine a cross-section of the cornea in unique ways. Confocals are not in common use in ophthalmology practices but they're used at a number of the major research centers.