can warm compresses hurt more than help?

[Amy09]

i read in another forum something about warm compresses being counterproductive and was wondering if i could get a little clarification on that.... i have been doing warm compresses for about 15 minutes every morning in the shower for about the past eight years. I take a clean washcloth, get it warm with hot water, ring it out a little and place it on my eyes while in the shower. is this hurting me more than helping??

if it will cause problems in the future, i guess i should find a way to stop. i used to use over the counter allergy eye drops about 4 years ago and went through a year or so of hell to let my eyes adjust to not using the drops anymore since they were counterproductive, but in the end, i am glad i broke that habit.

anyways, i would just like some clarification if what i am doing is bad for my eyes or not. if it is, is there any easy way i can start breaking myself of this habit???

[Rebecca Petris]

i read in another forum something about warm compresses being counterproductive

The only circumstance I'm aware of where they can be harmful is if
a) they are too hot
b) they are done too frequently.

Too much heat can be dangerous to the lids. Applying heat very frequently for too long can irritate the lids and make the inflammation worse (had a report from a doctor about a case like that recently).

is this hurting me more than helping??

What you are describing sounds very reasonable to me. If what you're worried about is some long-term ramifications that you might not notice at all in the short term (like harmful preservatives used regularly over a long period), personally I'd say put your mind at rest. And, well, if you want to know whether it's hurting or helping, you can always stop for a week and see what happens.

Someone's doctor may have said heat is counterproductive for THEM under certain circumstances. But if a doctor is saying heat is counterproductive, period, for meibomian gland disease, sorry to be blunt but I'd say go find a new doctor.