New here, suffer from blepharitis, a few questions.

[jmphipps0428]

Hey guys, so, this is my first post. Last year I was diagnosed with blepharitis for the first time. I also have generalized anxiety and had a few questions about my eyes, and how to cope (my optometrist suggested I come here):

1- For a year I've had to use systane preservative-free eyedrop vials every day, a few times. My eyelashes constantly stick together and sometimes I wake up with white flakes in them. Sometimes I have this gross crust on my eyelids. My eyes often have a mild burning sensation, worst in the morning and usually slows down by noon or a bit later. My vision seems blurry or foggy sometimes, even though I have 20/20 vision after LASIK. Sometimes they're slightly red in the morning, and I almost ALWAYS wake up with horribly dry eyes. Does that sound about right to anyone? (side note- I also have very naturally dry, flaky skin).

2- My optometrist mentioned MRSA/staph bacteria in conjunction with my blepharitis, then told me not to panic when I panicked. Said most blepharitis is in fact caused by staph on your skin. I'm still panicking. Staph!? How can I NOT panic when hearing that??

3- Is this going to cause me to go blind one day? My optometrist chuckled and said absolutely not, but I wanted to hear from people who are suffering with this themselves.

4- I've tried various means of combating this, all with varying degrees of success. My eye doc says there's really no cure, just mitigation and trying different things to see what works, but I can expect flare-ups for the rest of my life. Is this true?

Thanks for reading, guys.

[jmphipps0428]

Anyone? Anyone at all?

[khmedia]

Hi jmphipps

Surprised to see no reply so far. I guess a lot of users may be on holidays etc.

1. I actually use Systane too. But mine is the one with preservative. I found the preservative-free one difficult to use. Why. I found it did create a fog. Could this be the reason for your fog? I also found it made my eyes stickier. With the preservative one I found it didn't create a fog and also didn't make my eyes as sticky.

3- I don't think it will make you blind. But I too had the same anxiety myself when diagnosed. So the vision should still remain fine. Don't worry about this.

4- Yes I've been told there is no cure and that you have to try whatever works best. Personally I have has this for 3 years and in my case I am pessimestic about this ever leaving me. But all cases are different. So I would reserve any opinion about your condition. You may have it for a different reason than I. So your future could see you have a cure. Personally the notion of 'having it for the rest of your life' seems too big a pill to swallow. It was for me. Like you I have had a lot of anxiety. It is horrible and perhaps potentially WORSE than dry eye. I decided to take one day at a time. That has worked great for me.

I've had good periods and bad. At present I am going through a tough one.

However stay strong. When the good periods come it is worth every moment. Sometimes in my case they lasted for months and months. It did't mean that it went away. It was still there but it didn't bother me as much and wasn't as annoying. So you too may have these holiday periods.

Keep us informed of your progress. I understand how such a condition if life changing. As does everyone on this board. However there is hope.

Do you mind if I ask. Are you working? If yes how does this affect your eyes? I work on screens as a designer so it is quite hard with this condition!

All the best.

[Klee]

Hi,i have almost the exact symptoms as the poster. I get the blurriness and foggy vision alot. The warm compresses also give me almost an oily vision for hours at a time. I also have anxiety,this has made that much worse. Every doctor I go to trivializes the affect it has on a persons life. It is affecting mine big time. I dont do the things I used to for fear of how bad the irritation will be or how bad my vision is. I wear dark glasses alot. I am very light sensitive now. I feel like I should be a vampire. Lights at night also bother me. I am missing my life before all this. My family life is also very much agfected. My husband doesnt understand. I rarely see my friends. Frankly,Im drpressed.

[Klee]

Doxycycline is what i am pretty sure I will be trying soon. My doctor will prescribe it. You might want to ask about that. A doc i saw the other day brought up ocular rosacea although I dont have the skin cond it can affect only the eyes. Frankly every time I go to a doctor I get different info,its so confuseing.