If you have blepharitis, the eyelid margins or the sebaceous glands in your eyelid are inflamed.This inflammation is chronic, which means that the complaints are often permanent.Hoĩo often variable: sometimes you suffer less,sometimes more.
There are two types of blepharitis, namely anterior blepharitis and posterior blepharitis. With anterior blepharitis, the eyelid margins become inflamed.In posterior blepharitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane), the drainage ducts of the sebaceous glands become inflamed.
As a result, there is less or more fat. You can suffer from Form 1 or from both forms at the same time.
Causes of blepharitis
Blepharitis is caused by a bacterial infection. Bacteria produce a substance that causes inflammation of the eyelid edges and sebaceous glands.
Where the bacteria came from is unknown. However, it is known that blepharitis is more common in people with skin diseases, such as eczema, acne, and rosacea.
Blepharitis symptoms
Blepharitis is a harmless eye disease, but you can have such unpleasant complaints as dry eyes. Other complaints depend on the type of blepharitis you have.
Symptoms of anterior blepharitis
You can recognize anterior blepharitis by the following complaints:
- Flakes of skin and crusts between your eyelashes
- Red eyelid margins
- Irritated eyelid margins
Symptoms of posterior blepharitis
Posterior blepharitis does not always appear on the outside of your eyelid. However, you may experience the following complaints:
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Blurred vision
- Irritated eyes
- Burning eyes
Due to posterior blepharitis, less and less fat is released into the tear film (liquid layer of the eye). This disease is called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) or mybornitis.
Ophthalmologist's adviceIf you have blepharitis, it is better not to wear eye makeup. At least not as long as the margins of your eyelid are still inflamed.Â
How do I treat blepharitis at home?
Use warm eye compresses every day. With anterior blepharitis, clean the eyelids afterwards. With posterior blepharitis, you level the sebaceous glands.
You can do this two times a day. Blepharitis is a long-term inflammation. Once the treatment is stopped, it may return.
Warm eye compresses
Heat a clean towel or napkin under the hot tap. Put these on your closed eyes. When the towel has cooled, reheat it.
Do this for 10 minutes. Thus, the sebum in the sebaceous glands dissolves well, and the crusts become soft. Then you can easily remove sebum or crusts and clean the eyes.
Emptying the sebaceous glands
In the case of inflamed sebaceous glands (posterior blepharitis), you can gently empty them after eye pressure. Take a dry cotton swab. With it, massage the eyelid from top to bottom, towards the edge of the eyelid. Press lightly to empty the sebaceous glands.
Brushing the edges of the eyelid
You can get rid of crusts (anterior blepharitis) with the help of blephasol (available at the pharmacy) or by dissolving 3 drops of baby shampoo in a glass of warm water.
Dip a cotton swab or gauze into it. Pull the eyelid slightly away from the eye until it approaches the edge of the eyelid. Comb the border of the eyelid between the hairs of the eyelashes.
Work from the corner of the eye towards the nose. Repeat until all the crusts disappear. With chalazion, regular brushing can also help.
Medical treatment of chronic blepharitis
Blepharitis is a very frequently occurring chronic condition. The condition is bilateral, and the symptoms are worst in the morning.
In blepharitis, the normal production of oily fat from the Meibomian glands between the eyelashes has changed to fat with a more toothpaste-like consistency.
Patients complain of prolonged conjunctivitis. With blepharitis, scales appear at the edges of the eyelids. The eyelid margin is oiled and slightly reddened, and the cilia are fattened.
The scales are soft, yellow, and greasy and are seen between Cilia.Meibomitis is a diffuse inflammation of the meibomian glands on the edge of the eyelid. A toothpaste-like secretion can be squeezed out of the glands, but in pronounced cases, the ducts of the glands are clogged.
The eyelid margin is thickened and rounded. The condition may be linked to rosacea.Â
The treatment of the two conditions is the same:
- Daily washing of the eyelid margins either with isotonic NaCl or with special cleansing products for the eye area (e.g., Blephagel m.fl.) The treatment for chronic eyelid inflammation is long-term.
- Fat is an important component of the tear film. Therefore, with blepharitis, viscous eye drops are used with the addition of a small amount of fat. There are a number of products on the market.
- Antibiotic treatment is rarely indicated and should only be given if a bacterial superinfection with severe redness and swelling of the eyelid margin is suspected. Then treated locally with chloramphenicol ointment three times a day or, in severe cases, with tetracycline orally (500 mg dgl) for the first week. Then (250 mg dgl) for three months.
