Blepharitis...cures?

[Kyle]

I have been doing everything to get the blepharitis to go away (bacitrin ointment, erythromycin ointment, lid scrubs with saline solution, hot compresses, restasis, etc...) and nothing is working! What else do you'all suggest? Does ANYTHING really make it go away? It's been more than 4 months now and it just doesn't seem to be getting better.

[mspirk]

Blepharitis relief

I used doxycycline for a little over a year, and it really helped my blepharitis. Now I use a hot compress every morning to loosen the oils, and then I push up on the lower lid toward the lash line several times to help expell the oils. This technique has worked for me.

[Methos554]

Eye Redness

Kyle are you still on this forum?

[jcorbett]

Hi Kyle! Good to hear from you again. Well, not good to hear you are having problems.....but you know what I mean.
Did you try the NAC/Glut supplements? I tried them and used them for about 6-8 months. I wasn't having a major problem with blepharitis, but since I used them I have not had any problems.
Certainly could be coincidence ........ who knows.

[mike838]

I have been batteling it for 14 months with very little improvement on antibiotics for 7 months. I keep hearing that you can get it under control but I have yet to control it. I have missed alof of my life due to this and could also benifit from anything for imput anyone has. My biggest problem seems to be the blocked glands. The dr I am seeing now actually expresses the junk out of the glands to get them flowing again. Its only been 3 weeks and he has done it twice so I cant say if it will make it go away but maybe helped a little. Any other imput would be great sorry to hear your not doing well either kyle.

[dianat]

MIke,

Are you doing hot compresses?

[mike838]

My daily regiment is warm compresses 4 times a day about 15-20 minutes each then lid massage, then lid massage, then lid scrubs with a q-tim with saline. I have seen 2 dry eye drs the whole problem im facing is very plugged glands. The dr I am seeing now is manualing opening the glands by expressing them and the gunk out. He seems to feel hopefull that I will benifit from this and that is will make me feel better yesterday was the first day I had both eyes done. He did the left a little 3 weeks ago and it made some difference but he dident do much on it he said that some of the oil glands were no longer plugged but about 80 percent still were. I have never heard of this before seeing him but for the past year I have been doing the regiment that I said as well as antibiotics with little relief. I am being hopefull that this is the way to go with this new dr he seems very smar in the ways of this but I havent heard much of it before a month ago. My eyes are flowing a ton this am with what seems like all the bloced up gunk but anything that I can do to make it better dianat I will try so any imput that maybe im missing. I try to read on here to see what others are doing and what seems to be helping, and im glad to have some support from you all when I ask a million questions. Thank you.

[Rebecca Petris]

Sounds to me like you've got quite a good doc and are doing the best things you can for it. It's not every doctor that will even notice that your glands are plugged, let alone understand the importance and manually express them for you.

Which antibiotic are you on?

Are you taking any Omega 3 supplements (flax or fish oil or other)? For some people the type and quantity of supplement seems to make quite a noticeable difference so this may be an area worth experimenting in.

[dianat]

The supplements are a great idea. I'm told if you're blocked up they aren't much use, but once you get the oil flowing, they help improve oil secretion. Am I correct, Rebecca? I just got my huge bottle of Carlesons Salmon oil caps in the mail this week. These were recommended by Dr. G at the seminar...I think for heart health as much as eye health. Gary and I are walking around belching fish now... He's having more trouble than I am. It's not pleasant but tolerable. I read about freezing them, but decided that was too much work. I'm best keeping the bottle out where I can see them.

Mike, I wish I had more suggestions for you. I also think meibomian gland dysfunction is at the heart of my discomfort also. It's very much affected my lifestyle also. Keep up the effort. You may just get it under control one of these days. Do you wear goggles to protect your eyes outdoor (or even indoors)? They are a huge part of my daily eye "care".

[mike838]

Thanks I dont wear goggles to much I do somethimes just not all the time. The expressions let out a bunch of gunk today I had it done yesterday and boy oh boy what a mess hopefull I can keep them prom plugging back up. I am going to try to keep it away I am all black and blue today around the eyes they had to push hard but they got a bunch of gunk out. I hope it worked. I have tried flaxseed oil with no luck so I dident try the fish oil maybe I should if I can get things flowing that is the problem is getting it started back up.

[neil0502]

My daily regiment is warm compresses 4 times a day about 15-20 minutes each

What are you using for this, Mike?

For me, the corn bag/sock-full-o'-rice thing is far superior to any washcloth type of solution, simply because of its ability to retain heat longer. I just lay down in front of the tv (front .. side .. doesn't much matter, I guess ) for about 15 minutes, sometimes zapping for another microwave minute half-way through.

My docs tell me I'm not an mgd guy, so I don't expect miracles, but:
1) can't hurt'
2) feels good
3) I have accommodative cramping issues and the "periocular warming" is supposed to help relieve some of that, too.

Good luck ... sincerely!

[dianat]

Mike...

Boy, you really are struggling. What antibiotic are you on? I assume doxy- or minocycline. I truly hope you can get this under control. I recall reading that even if only one of your meibomian glands gets clogged it can wreak havoc. Ditto on the rice bag. I fill a piece of nylon panty hose with uncooked unconverted rice and microwave with a glass of water for about a minute and a half. The water helps the rice not to burn and I"m certain the rice is absorbing some of the water so I get some humidity at the same time. It's far superior to warm washcloths.

[mike838]

Yes I am really struggling that is for sure I have been out of work for about a year and in severe pain for months. I did get the pain under control and things started in the right direction but im still batteling this. This week has been the first time I started work in 14 months so its been along battle. I have been on all of the cyclines but found im allergic to them so they have me on zithromaz I guess its the back up to the cycline but it has not done much. I have seen a aray of drs and until dr g gave me a refferal to one I felt it was never going to end. I think maybe I can get it cleaed up(if I dont tell myself that I will be in a glum state forever). I hear people have cleard it up so im hoping I use the rice or a heat pack warmed un the microwave. If I use the heat pack its wraped in a wet wash cloth so its moist. I think it more effective then rice but I do both. I have been on all the meds under the sun I swear, and yet its giving me a run for my money, wouldent be so bad if I was not so young but hey it got me when it got me.

[Rebecca Petris]

Yes I am really struggling that is for sure I have been out of work for about a year and in severe pain for months.

Yikes!!

Mike, considering that you've been pursuing this so diligently in many directions yet have had such excessive pain, I wonder if you might want to consider going to the Boston Foundation for Sight for a scleral fitting. They have a high success rate for rehab'ing some very tough cases. It's a lengthy, costly process but usually covered by insurance. With the degree of disability you've suffered it seems like you would be a good candidate for this.

[mike838]

They were the first people to diagnose the mgd I went to 8 drs before that who did not know why my eyes were like they are. I had the lenses made and we found out the hard way that its not a dry eye issue from lack of years but the glands were just plugged. So boston foundation for sight sent me to another dr in new hampshire which is where I live they then sent me to boston again. I followed that dr for a while and she just threw meds at me and hoped that it would go away. She said "all of my paitients that I have treated for this have gotten better or at least to a point of functioning again but it may take months even years to clear up mgd and blepharitis" I to this day will never forget that qoute and think well its been a year hope its only months left lol. I followed her for awhile for care and after 8-9 months with hearing youll get better and not I switched to a new dr in boston that dr.g had told me was good. I have noticed improvement since I started seeing him and he did express all the gunk out of my eyes so I feel I am in good hands but it will never stop me from listing to other and hearing what has worked for them in hopes that maybe someday too I can clear it up and get some type of benifit from this horrible condition. I do appoligise for the babble its just nice to get it out sometimes. I have never heard of a dr expressing the glands and I figure it may come right back but I really hope like heck it does not. I really think its the blocked glands that are bothering me from the inflamation of the blocked glands. I just cant get them unblocked.

Again I am sorry for going off in a tangent I just needed to get it all off my cheast. Its been a long year. I feel for all of you that have had this longer or even a day. Thanks again