common for erythromycin to CAUSE red eye/dry eye?

[Giacomo]

I was using a vaseline-based erythromycin for blepharitis treatment and I seemingly blocked either meibomian or lacrimal glands. Result was a very very swollen eyelid and red eye for 2 weeks. I don't think the red eye was from an infection, but from lack of tears

My question is: how common is it for vaseline-based treatments to block the glands? I would like to be able to use erythromycin in the future, if necessary, but not at the risk of blocking the meibomian glands. Is there another option???

[DocwithDryEye]

Any think ointment, especially something like vaseline, has a strong propensity to block glands. A lot of make-ups do the same thing. Azasite is a great azithromycin drug that some eye care professionals have done very well with. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive. You can ask your eye care professional if they have a few samples you can try. Put a SMALL drop on a q-tip and run it through your lashes.