Diagnosis after several years of eye probs

[jammie_t]

I have this week had a test where 2x eyelashes from top and bottom of eyes were taken and put under a microscope which has come back as positive for demodex.

I have a follow up booked for next week. What is the treatment for demodex? Can it be cured?

Literally have tried everything over the years without any relief. Seen so many docs and finally feel I have a "diagnosis" after a very long time of various docs not knowing what it is other than "a slight reaction"

[cathy8889]

Hey, I had demodex and bacteria in my glands and eyelash follicles, it took me a long time for someone to actually look for them in the first place. My new optometrist spotted them in January 2015. I started taking doxycycline in August 2014 which started things getting better. Having the demodex diagnosis in January helped me to get better as I started looking in to how to kill the demodex. I had blephex treatment done in January which cleared all the debris and hopefully some of the demodex from my lashes (went to see an ophthalmologist in March and he said I had the cleanest eyelashes he has ever seen, he said they were too clean but I dont think they can be with this condition). I am very strict on eyelid hygiene, I change my pillow cases every night and always dry them in the dryer and sometimes iron them to make sure all demodex are killed, I use body shop cool and creamy face wash on my face and leave it on my lashes for two minutes every morning and night, I use tea tree shampoo, conditioner and body wash. My eyes were always worse at night and I have read (http://www.growyouthful.com/ailment/demodex-mite.php) that demodex are most active at night and come out and breed on skin surface, you've got to break their lifecycle so careful lid hygiene is essential. I used coconut oil at night (http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/sho...042903?c=tiana) which has stopped the demodex coming out and breeding, I've heard that vitamin E oil can be used too. I also used superdrug tea tree wipes (sensitive) during the day. I use a blephasteam/hot steam rather than a warm compress as the compress made lids more inflamed and swollen).

My eyes have got a lot better since following this strict regime. Just google things to kill demodex.

Have you ever taken doxycycline to treat your eye problems? If demodex is problem there could be bacteria there too.

Hope you find relief, things are much better for me but it has taken a lot work and have to be so careful not to put anything near eyes.

Message me if need anymore help. I had blephex treatment done at Jane Smellie opticians in wrexham, chester or whitchurch (not sure where youre located sorry)
Cath x

[DryMichael]

Cathy, This post is very helpful, thanks. I will put demodex on my list and ask the doctor. I've never thought about it but maybe I should change my pillow cases more often.

I don't understand how do you leave your tea tree wash on your lashes for 2 minutes? I tried it once and it got into my right eye and it BURNED a lot. I can still feel it and I'm afraid to do it again because my eye would be really bad. Maybe I just bought the wrong tea tree gel? I wish you could do some video about your eye hygiene and put it on youtube

[JJdryeye]

Hey, I had demodex and bacteria in my glands and eyelash follicles, it took me a long time for someone to actually look for them in the first place. My new optometrist spotted them in January 2015. I started taking doxycycline in August 2014 which started things getting better. Having the demodex diagnosis in January helped me to get better as I started looking in to how to kill the demodex. I had blephex treatment done in January which cleared all the debris and hopefully some of the demodex from my lashes (went to see an ophthalmologist in March and he said I had the cleanest eyelashes he has ever seen, he said they were too clean but I dont think they can be with this condition). I am very strict on eyelid hygiene, I change my pillow cases every night and always dry them in the dryer and sometimes iron them to make sure all demodex are killed, I use body shop cool and creamy face wash on my face and leave it on my lashes for two minutes every morning and night, I use tea tree shampoo, conditioner and body wash. My eyes were always worse at night and I have read (http://www.growyouthful.com/ailment/demodex-mite.php) that demodex are most active at night and come out and breed on skin surface, you've got to break their lifecycle so careful lid hygiene is essential. I used coconut oil at night (http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/sho...042903?c=tiana) which has stopped the demodex coming out and breeding, I've heard that vitamin E oil can be used too. I also used superdrug tea tree wipes (sensitive) during the day. I use a blephasteam/hot steam rather than a warm compress as the compress made lids more inflamed and swollen).

My eyes have got a lot better since following this strict regime. Just google things to kill demodex.

Have you ever taken doxycycline to treat your eye problems? If demodex is problem there could be bacteria there too.

Hope you find relief, things are much better for me but it has taken a lot work and have to be so careful not to put anything near eyes.

Message me if need anymore help. I had blephex treatment done at Jane Smellie opticians in wrexham, chester or whitchurch (not sure where youre located sorry)
Cath x

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much better do you think your eyes are since addressing the demodex? And do you attribute the improvement to any one thing in your treatment more than the others?

[JJdryeye]

I have this week had a test where 2x eyelashes from top and bottom of eyes were taken and put under a microscope which has come back as positive for demodex.

I have a follow up booked for next week. What is the treatment for demodex? Can it be cured?

Literally have tried everything over the years without any relief. Seen so many docs and finally feel I have a "diagnosis" after a very long time of various docs not knowing what it is other than "a slight reaction"

Jammie, you said you have had several years of eye probs....how many treatments of probing have you had done? And were they done by a reputable doctor?

[jthomp]

Hi,
I also have demodex and am using TTO. I have been doing a number of things for years now with very little improvement. I have really good days and really bad days. The dr. just recently put me on doxycyline and it was helping with my eyes, but my face was breaking out worse than my teenager's. I took it for about 2 weeks, but it was very embarrassing so I stopped taking the doxy. As soon as I did my eyes started burning again. I also have rosacea, so I don't know if my face would have eventually gotten better if I continued taking it or not.

Does anyone have any ideas about the doxy and my face breaking out so bad?

Thanks!

[cathy8889]

Hi Dry Michael sorry for late reply. At first it used to get in my eyes and burn them, but I carried on and took the burning a bit as I knew my lashes would be clean. But now i try to close my lids tightly together and it stops the tea tree going in now, my eyes might have become more tolerant of it now too. I used quite a thick creamy tea tree so maybe with a more watered down tea tree its easier for it to seep in to eyes. I had no clue demodex and bacteria was my problems until January, tea tree has really helped me, I use this one http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by...eamy-wash.aspx

Hope it can help you
Cathy

Cathy, This post is very helpful, thanks. I will put demodex on my list and ask the doctor. I've never thought about it but maybe I should change my pillow cases more often.

I don't understand how do you leave your tea tree wash on your lashes for 2 minutes? I tried it once and it got into my right eye and it BURNED a lot. I can still feel it and I'm afraid to do it again because my eye would be really bad. Maybe I just bought the wrong tea tree gel? I wish you could do some video about your eye hygiene and put it on youtube

[cathy8889]

Hi JJdry eye,

I started doxy in august 2014, 2 months after this I was able to stop using drops, still had burning, gritty, heavy lid sensation but not as bad as it had been


Doxy improved things by 25%
Tea tree wipes improved things by 20%
Blephasteam improved things by 10%
Tea treee face wash left on eyes and lashes for two mins 15%
Coconut oil on eyes at night 10%
With each of these things I could tell a difference when i started using them.
Doxy - noticed difference after a day
Tea tree sensitive face wipes -noticed difference after three days, clear sticky liquid would seap out of glands and i think this was the bad stuff coming out http://www.superdrug.com/Superdrug/S...g&gclsrc=aw.ds
Coconut oil - after first night of using it i noticed a difference in the morning

Im also taking various vitamins which could be helping too but it is hard to say if they have helped directly and by how much

I dont use the tea tree wipes anymore, I used them from november to february, i think the tea tree wipes irritated my eyes but I couldnt tell they were irritating my eyes when my dry eye symptoms were worse, it was like a lesser of two evils. When the quality of my oil improved I could tell that the wipes were irritating.

I think you have to do treatments for as long as they feel like they are working. Warm compresses did not help me, they made my lids more swollen and inflamed.

Cath

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much better do you think your eyes are since addressing the demodex? And do you attribute the improvement to any one thing in your treatment more than the others?