blepharitis caused by allergies

[momaxwell]

I have anterior blepharitis caused by allergies. Has anyone else dealt with this? I know we are all different, but I would love to hear what methods people have used. I do lid scrubs; I clean my eyelashes, take vitamins, and do warm compresses. I take my allergy meds daily, but I am not on shots. Everything seems to help, but nothing has stabilized me completely. I would love to hear your story.

[stella]

Are your allergy meds oral antihistamines? they will make your DE worse
Avoid all eye make up,wear goggles when washing your hair( shampoos are dynamite for eye allergies)
do you have dandruff ? - Address that issue and never put eye cream on, or face cream near your eyes ( I take the "panda" approach putting cream on my face but never round the eyes )Also be careful with nail varnish and always wash your hands with non-allergic soap before touching your eyes - It's all a bit of a drag but it might help
Stella
I

[nick]

Hey Momaxwell,

Many systemic (i.e. oral) allergy medicines exacerbate dry eyes rather than help. Try allergy eye drops -- I've been using Zaditor, which is what's called a mast cell inhibitor, but you can also try normal topical anti-histamines. The Zaditor really helps alleviate the gritty feeling for me!

Good luck!

Nick

[brd888]

Anterior?

Are you sure it is anterior? This is normally caused by 2 types of bacteria and sounds like it would respond well to the Sterilid product. Otherwise as said scrupulous hygiene to keep allergins out the area.

[momaxwell]

Thank you!

Thanks for all the information. I actually stopped taking my oral antihistamines for about 6 months and it made my dry eye worse, which I though was odd. I will keep doing the lid scrubs and trying to keep my eyelids free of allergens. My doctor prescribed an antibiotic ointment for my eyelashes for nighttime, so hopefully that should help too.

[stella]

Just recieved similasan homeopathic allergy drops in the post
Thank you Rebecca for suggesting them
Ill keep y'all posted as to how they work