Should I continue doing eyelid expressions?

[kpaul84]

Hey all,

I am hoping to hear some advice from you guys.

I was diagnosed with blepharitis / dry eye about 1.5 years ago. Since then Ive been using restasis on a regular basis and have been expressing my lids twice a day, every day.

I just recently had a dryness test, and it showed that I have no problem with tear production (actually quite above average), but rather, my ability to produce sufficient oil is still lacking.

I am wondering whether I should continue doing lid expressions? When I push out the oil, it does not come out with a "toothpaste" consistency. In actuality, it just looks like liquid drops of oil.

Is it possible to express your eyelids too much and rob your eye of the oil it needs to secrete throughout the day?

Thank you so much in advance!

[wetEyes]

No, you're not robbing your glands of oil. Massaging the lids helps to increase the flow of oil.

What I would suggest
* continue the heat treatment and expression (10 minutes, 2x daily)
* clean your lid margins after that with a q-tip
* take at least 1g of omega 3 per day
* keep using Restasis
* consider asking your eye doc for an AzaSite prescription

[Rebecca Petris]

I think I'm in kind of a similar boat. Not bad blockage or thickening at this point - just not making much! For me personally, things do seem to get worse when I slack off the heat. But I don't know in general.

What does your doctor think?

[grandsporta]

I think I'm in kind of a similar boat. Not bad blockage or thickening at this point - just not making much! For me personally, things do seem to get worse when I slack off the heat. But I don't know in general.

What does your doctor think?

I have tried to express my glands, but nothing comes out. Am I doing it wrong?

[Rory]

if things were working well... why would you need heat to express oil from the glands?...."normal" eyes do not require this heat..why should yours?

There is clearly a more important factor.. than applying heat to the lids.

[redandunhappy]

I have the same question as grandsporta..

If you do warm compresses and then try to express the glands, should you actually see oil coming out (or is it too small to see)?

The reason I ask is that doing warm compresses does seem to make oil come out (my vision goes cloudy for a bit), but when I try and massage the lids - either with a cotton bud (Q tip) or my fingers or, I don't see anything.

I have been told that my my oil is quite clear and of a good consistency, so I don't think my glands are really clogged, just a little underactive (cause of ocular rosacea and inflammation)....so should I stop trying to get more oil to come out? I'd rather not prod around with my eyes if I don't need to..

Is it possible that mine could be coming out with just the heat?

What should I actually see when doing the lid massage with a Q tip?

Very grateful for any advice...