Blepharitis is an inflammation of your eyelids. It can make your eyelids red and eyelashes crusty and make your eyes feel irritated or sore. It can also lead to burning, itching or stinging in your eyes.
The condition is not usually serious, but can lead to other problems, such as styes, ulcers and conjunctivitis if it’s not treated.
You may find your eyelids become puffy. The symptoms tend to be worse in the morning and when you wake up.
Blepharitis is a chronic (long-term) condition. This means that once you have had it, it can come back even after it has cleared up. It normally affects both eyes.
Blepharitis is more common in people aged over 50, but it can develop at any age. As you get older,
the meibomian glands in your eyelids become blocked more easily, and your eyes can feel gritty and
dry.
This means that older people are more likely to have blepharitis. You are more likely to develop blepharitis if you have:
1. A skin condition called rosacea.
2. A skin condition called seborrhoeic dermatitis. This makes your skin oily, inflamed or flaky.
3. An infestation of eyelashes.
4. Worn contact lenses for many years.
It is possible to make your eyes more comfortable but in most cases blepharitis cannot be fully cured.
If you have blepharitis, you should avoid smoky atmospheres and eye make-up, such as eyeliner and mascara.
Warm compresses
These work by melting the blocked material in the meibomian glands and loosening the crusts on the
eyelid. This makes them easier to remove. .
Warm compresses can be made at home – soak a clean flannel, cotton-wool ball or something similar
in hot (not boiling) water and squeeze off the excess, place it on the edge of your closed eyelids for around five minutes. While on the eyelids, gently rock or massage the warm compress. This will soften the material in the glands and loosen the crusts. You can then clean your lids.
You should use a separate clean compress for each eye.
Lid cleaning
Gently clean the edges of your eyelids near your lashes. Wipe from the inside (near your nose) to the
outside corner of your eye. You can try to clean behind the lashes (the meibomian glands), but not the inside edge, by gently pulling away the eyelids from the eye. Repeat this twice a day at first and reduce this to once a day as the condition
improves. You may need special cleaning treatments to help remove crusts or infestations from your
eyelids and lashes.
Antibiotics
If warm compresses and cleaning do not work, your optometrist may prescribe antibiotic ointment or tablets.