Eyelid hygiene ..What am i doing wrong ??

[HYPERHEAD]

Basically i massage and wash my eyes in the shower, i let the steam and hot water stream over my face for 10 mins and then i wash my face and eyelids with simple brand face wash and then after 10 mins when oil glands are melted i do circular motion massaging for about 20 seconds per eye..should i do horizontal sweeps instead?

Then after the shower my eyelids and eyes go very inflamed veiny and red,now my eyelids skin is looking very swollen and lined and stretched

Can anyone help me maybe suggesting a better routine to help avoid inflammation, trouble is i need heat to express the glands but it seems to be causing more problems although lately i have been expressing lots of oil after a shower which is good

Do you think its the massaging bit and heat thats causing the inflammation as i didnt used to get this when i showered also i started using castor oil today and that seems to have helped with the usual grittiness but not with the red eyelids??

Im going to try sterilid cleaner now to see the results.

Thanks everyone again...i love you all

[Tankie]

Hi Hyperhead,

In order to express the glands better I like to use this eye mask which you can purchase 2 for $4.50: http://www.dryeyeshop.com/simple-soother-p224.aspx

To use this mask, I do the following:
- Boil some water in the kettle
- Put the water into a casserole dish
- Put the mask into the boiling (or near boiling) water
- Let the mask sit in the water for about 2 minutes
- Take the mask out of the water
- Let it cool for a few minutes
- Very carefully put the mask onto my eyes and apply pressure to the locations that feel gritty
- If the mask is too hot, immediately take it off and let it cool for another 30 seconds or so

In my opinion, this is by far the best way of doing a hot compress that I've found. The heat from the shower isn't anywhere close to as effective as this mask. You can also try doing a cold compress with this mask if you like. Hope this helps

[Tankie]

One word of caution about the mask: After using them for about 2 weeks I find that they break and the blue gel starts to come out. When this happens, I just throw it away and use a new one. I have 10 of these things sitting around the house so that when the next one breaks, I'll just start using a new one.

Considering the fact that you get 2 for $4.50, essentially this means you're paying about $4.50 per month before you need to get a new set of 2. Better yet, just order a whole bunch of them. Last time I ordered 14 of them and only paid $12 shipping to Canada.

[Hopeful2]

Hi Hyperhead,

I think I have similar symptoms. After my shower, the oil flows very easily from the glands. But I also find that my eyes are red and irritated afterwards. I think the heat of the shower and the expression afterwards causes more inflammation.

I don't believe I have clogged meibomian glands as I have never seen the toothpaste like secretions that are typical of clogged glands. At the same time maybe I have never pressed hard enough to get to to the clogged secretions. From an article Rebecca posted in her newsletter, it sounds like you have to press with extreme force, exerting a great deal of pain, to be able to get to the thick secretions. . . So, maybe, our glands are not plugged up, maybe the secretions are just inflammatory. If this is the case, than maybe hot compresses/ hot showers are making things worse. In this situation, maybe the meibum if flowing too easily and because it is inflammed, it is irritating to the eye. I really don't know for sure and I have not been able to get an answer from any docotors.

It would be great to hear from some of our veterans or doctors on this. What is the recommendation for inflammatory secretions as opposed to plugged glands?

[buntbean]

I've noticed this too. Also, after the compresses if I try expressing the glands I find that my eyes will hurt and my lash line gets all inflamed and painful for a few days afterward.