Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid that can be acute or chronic. The eyelids may appear red, swollen, feel like they are burning, sore, itchy and inflamed around the edges of the eyelid. You may feel like rubbing it and have contact sensitivity.
A lot of people who have blepharitis also suffer from dry eye syndrome, which is brought on by the blepharitis.
What causes it?
Some people have more bacteria in the base of their eyelashes as blepharitis can be associated with a bacterial infection in general. The bacteria are placed all over our skin, however in some people those bacteria appear more in the base of their eyelashes and causes small particles that look like dandruff to appear in the eyelids and lashes. Blepharitis is very commonly met in people who suffer from dandruff, rosacea or oily skin.
Some of the things that may cause it are:
* Poor hygiene- Sometimes blepharitis can appear due to poor hygiene, which is often the main reason for it to appear amongst young children and teens.
* Demodex - an eyelash mite that infests the eyelid margins can also be the cause of blepharitis.
*Rosacea
*Allergies- it can be caused by allergies that come from medications, contact lenses or eye makeup. So be careful what you put in your eye and always make sure to disinfect your hands before putting lenses and to clean any brushes that go near your eyes and lashes.
*Dry eyes
Most people experience chronic blepharitis. Acute blepharitis often responds to treatment but it may reoccur and develop into a chronic one. Chronic blepharitis is difficult to treat as it doesn’t respond to treatment, it is recurrent, indolent and unpleasant to experience and look at.
How can you treat it?
There are the traditional ways which can help keeping the condition under control such as:
*Warm compresses:
–make sure you have a completely clean cloth and wet it with warm water then wring it dries a bit. Place the cloth over your eyes for at least a minute and wet it as often as you should decide to keep it so it is warm. This is done so the flakes will loosen and will stop sticking around the eyelashes.
*Eye drops:
-artificial tears or steroid eye drops. They reduce redness, swelling and help with dryness.
*Antibiotics:
-your ophthalmologist may prescribe some antibiotic ointment on your eyes.
*Eyelid scrubs:
-soak a clean cloth in baby shampoo diluted in warm water and then use it to gently scrub the base of your eyelashes.
*Keep good hygiene
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of mentioned, please contact a doctor so you can get it diagnosed and treated as soon as possible!