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Hi, Everyone. I have found your posts to be very valuable, not to mention courageous, and so thank you for enlightening me with your experiences. Now that I'm joined, perhaps you may have some insights or advice?
My story goes, I had been diagnosed with dry eyes many years ago but I never noticed any symptoms. Fast forward to a couple months ago, I one day woke up with these small bumps under my eyes, located where you would put your eye cream, and they were clustered. Then, I started noticing my mascara wasn't really coming off and the lashes were oily. For some reason I dismissed it as serious but stopped using the mascara. Then I started getting crusts when I woke up and noticed eyelashes falling out. When the oozing happened, that's when I went to an eye doctor, which was a month ago. She said I have Dry Eye, MGD, and Blepharitis (anterior and posterior). (Apparently I also have narrow angles as well.) Things started getting a little under control with the regimen of 3x/day hot compress for 5-10 min. followed by eye an eye scrub (currently using baby shampoo) and massage on the top and bottom lid margins. I did that for 4 weeks until this past week when some of the symptoms went away but then others got worse. I found myself with blurry vision, intense swelling, and lots of pain for several hours and then waking up the next morning with more swelling, tenderness, and one eye hard to open at first. But then I also had trouble breathing and felt it was asthma (which I haven't had problems with in ages.) The symptoms kept changing, morphing, and the eye pain continued and so then I was advised to go to an ER (which I did last night). Thankfully they said there is no infection and to keep treating the condition and to keep on with the compresses and follow-up with the eye doctor.
I think there may be several things that contributed to my getting blepharitis. First, I suspect the bumps may have been an allergic reaction. Second, my makeup is generally old, excluding the mascara, - and since I have thrown it all out. Thirdly, when the eyelashes were oily, I did try to wash my eyes but accidentally (once or twice) used a shampoo that was old and had gone bad... all of this plus I had hurt my hand so wasn't dusting/cleaning nearly as frequently and can say it's possible demodex may be involved. The doc didn't pinpoint the exact cause of the blepharitis.
I have so many questions, it's hard to know where to start, so I'd love to hear any of your general thoughts or answers to the questions below.
* MAIN QUESTION: Is there anyone out there who has ALL THREE of these and successfully overcome this?
* How long does it typically take to get the initial episode under control? (It sounds like it really varies.)
* Is there such a thing as the glands under the eyes clogging impacting this? (referring to where you put eye cream)
* If you get it under control and stay on top of the lid hygeine, can it still come back randomly? (this thought terrifies me)
* My experience has been this is debilitating and can take large chunks of your day to monitor and treat. How does one go about a normal day?
* Regarding makeup, I've decided not to wear it until it gets under control. What if there is an important event?
* Has anyone tried Cliradex?
* I've read about castor oil to grow eyelashes. My doc says she didn't see any clinical studies. Would this be safe, and if so, do you wait to use it until the blepharitis/MGD is under control?
* Any success with an IV drip?
Thank you for allowing me to share. May everyone reading this be on the road to recovery and experience healthy, happy eyes.
My story goes, I had been diagnosed with dry eyes many years ago but I never noticed any symptoms. Fast forward to a couple months ago, I one day woke up with these small bumps under my eyes, located where you would put your eye cream, and they were clustered. Then, I started noticing my mascara wasn't really coming off and the lashes were oily. For some reason I dismissed it as serious but stopped using the mascara. Then I started getting crusts when I woke up and noticed eyelashes falling out. When the oozing happened, that's when I went to an eye doctor, which was a month ago. She said I have Dry Eye, MGD, and Blepharitis (anterior and posterior). (Apparently I also have narrow angles as well.) Things started getting a little under control with the regimen of 3x/day hot compress for 5-10 min. followed by eye an eye scrub (currently using baby shampoo) and massage on the top and bottom lid margins. I did that for 4 weeks until this past week when some of the symptoms went away but then others got worse. I found myself with blurry vision, intense swelling, and lots of pain for several hours and then waking up the next morning with more swelling, tenderness, and one eye hard to open at first. But then I also had trouble breathing and felt it was asthma (which I haven't had problems with in ages.) The symptoms kept changing, morphing, and the eye pain continued and so then I was advised to go to an ER (which I did last night). Thankfully they said there is no infection and to keep treating the condition and to keep on with the compresses and follow-up with the eye doctor.
I think there may be several things that contributed to my getting blepharitis. First, I suspect the bumps may have been an allergic reaction. Second, my makeup is generally old, excluding the mascara, - and since I have thrown it all out. Thirdly, when the eyelashes were oily, I did try to wash my eyes but accidentally (once or twice) used a shampoo that was old and had gone bad... all of this plus I had hurt my hand so wasn't dusting/cleaning nearly as frequently and can say it's possible demodex may be involved. The doc didn't pinpoint the exact cause of the blepharitis.
I have so many questions, it's hard to know where to start, so I'd love to hear any of your general thoughts or answers to the questions below.
* MAIN QUESTION: Is there anyone out there who has ALL THREE of these and successfully overcome this?
* How long does it typically take to get the initial episode under control? (It sounds like it really varies.)
* Is there such a thing as the glands under the eyes clogging impacting this? (referring to where you put eye cream)
* If you get it under control and stay on top of the lid hygeine, can it still come back randomly? (this thought terrifies me)
* My experience has been this is debilitating and can take large chunks of your day to monitor and treat. How does one go about a normal day?
* Regarding makeup, I've decided not to wear it until it gets under control. What if there is an important event?
* Has anyone tried Cliradex?
* I've read about castor oil to grow eyelashes. My doc says she didn't see any clinical studies. Would this be safe, and if so, do you wait to use it until the blepharitis/MGD is under control?
* Any success with an IV drip?
Thank you for allowing me to share. May everyone reading this be on the road to recovery and experience healthy, happy eyes.
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