Blepharitus, is it safe to express your own eyelids

[DKott27]

I wad diagnosed with blepharitus and recently found out all my eye glands are gone and I will never get them back. This condition has paralyzed me. My eye is so bad I don't even want to live anymore.

I do warm compresses 3x a day. I use fish oil and dry eye medications. Eye drops. Lid scrubs. Baby shampoo. Nothing helps.

The only thing that helps is when the doctor gives me anesthesia and drains my eyelid and I'm going to try buying the expression tool and doing it myself. Is this possible? Can I do this in my own?

[Hokucat]

Hi DKott. Sorry to hear about your condition. I experienced something very similar for many years.

I would not express my meibomian glands myself if I were you, as even if you know how to do it correctly, you have to squeeze quite hard and you might slip and poke your eye with the tool, especially since you will be looking in the mirror in order to do it yourself. That's just my opinion, but perhaps others in this forum have experience with this.

But am wondering if you or your doctor are able to express your glands, that usually means your glands are still generating oil, although it might be thick oil and your glands blocked, but not necessarily gone for good? Am assuming you were referring to your meibomian glands, or also your lacrimal glands?

Almost all my meibomian glands were blocked, some permanently blocked or atrophied. Several were blocked with scar tissue. Some doctors told me they were all likely permanently blocked. But I was able to get many unblocked, including the ones with scar tissue, with the probing process, and subsequently keep them unblocked and oils flowing with diet changes. For people without scar tissue, procedures like IPL, expression, and Lipiflow has helped in some cases to improve their gland function.

Have you considered trying scleral lenses? These help with remaining dryness I have from the permanently loss glands. Sclerals have been used increasingly in recent years to help manage dry eyes. Here's a good general description of sclerals, but there are several different brands:

http://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/PRO...y-Eye-Syndrome

I know first hand how debilitating severe dry eyes can be. I had zero tear film for several years until the probing/diet change breakthrough. Am assuming you've tried other things besides what you've mentioned, but I think there may be still be some next level options still available, only a few which I mentioned.

[MGD1701]

Hi DKott,
If your glands are ALL gone, would gland expression help? If so, safer to be done by doctor
There should be other solutions - which you need to find out.

blepharitus? I guess you mean Blepharitis? then you need to find out if demodex or bateria. If not sure, seems
Avenova Cleanser/Hypochlorous Acid/HOCI 0.01%
can solve this issue - seems this can kill demodex and bacteria
(see video from 12:18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6uStSbfxLU)
but hard to get it, 2nd choice

Ocusoft Hypochlor 0.02% HOCI (OTC product)
more info view video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvAWZD33B8

Baby shampoo. Do NOT use it - it only makes eyes worse.