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When we deal with your eye problems, you can expect to be treated with the same degree of care and commitment as if you were a member of our family.
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Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. Symptoms vary but can include redness, irritation, tiredness and dryness. While it can cause discomfort, it is not vision threatening. It generally affects both eyes and is a lifelong problem, requiring ongoing management.
Blepharitis occurs partly due to a sensitivity to the toxins produced by normal lid bacteria (particularly Staphylococci), and also a build-up of oils in the eyelid glands. The upper lids have 25 glands and the lower lids 20. These glands run vertically and open near the eyelashes.
Additional lid hygiene is usually recommended for the management of blepharitis. This involves lid scrubs, heat and massage of the lids and oil glands. Lid cleaning can be performed with moistened makeup pads, or prepared products such as Systane Lid Wipes, Ocusoft wipes, or Sterilid foam. This should be performed initially twice daily for several weeks, but often once daily is sufficient on an ongoing basis. Best results with hot compresses are achieved with the use of five minutes of sustained heat. This can be achieved with the use of a small wheat bag or a hot face-towel. These should be heated as warm as can be tolerated but do not burn the eye! Once heated the oil glands can be massaged to try to express their contents, stroking downwards towards the lashes and lid margins on the top lid and upwards towards the lashes for the lower lid.
In addition some patients will require the use of an anti-inflammatory drop, antibiotic ointment, omega 3 supplementation (fish oil or flaxseed oil, Lacritec capsules or TheraTears Nutrition capsules). Several months of oral doxycycline tablets can also be beneficial.
When we deal with your eye problems, you can expect to be treated with the same degree of care and commitment as if you were a member of our family.