Blepharitis is a chronic and persistent inflammation of the eyelids. It is due to the poor functioning of oil glands and eyelids. The symptoms are irritated and red eyelids, itching, eyelashes thinning, red eyes, relapsing chalazion, poor tear film, blurry vision. Eyelashes hygiene includes:
1. Apply warm compresses on your eyelids preparing as follows:
In a small recipient pour warm water (not boiling) and check if you can tolerate the temperature on the external surface of your hands. Immerse two cottonwool lumps, preferably the round ready to use and compresse cottonwool you can buy to clean your face. Squeeze them to remove excess water and apply them warm on the closed eyelids and massage the eyelashes (eyelid lips). Cottonwool becomes cold in about half a minute and you should warm them up again by putting them into the water in the same way. Repeat the same procedure for ten times. Apply warm compresses twice a day, preferably morning and evening. Warm compresses should be applied for at least one month. If symptoms remit, warm compresses can be applied only once a day, or every other day or twice a week. Do not stop applying them. If symptoms reoccur apply the compresses with their initial frequency.
2. Clean eyelids with soap as follows:
Keep a baby shampoo by the sink (it does not hurt the eyes). Put a small amount of shampoo, make some foam under the tab and wash and rub your eyes, especially in the area where eyelashes grow. Then rinse the shampoo with a lot of water from the tab and dry your face. If you do not wish to use baby shampoo you can wash your eye lids with a special product for that purpose called Lid-care that you can buy at the pharmacy. Lid-care is a carton box containing a bottle with liquid soap and sterile gauzes. Take one gauze, put some liquid soap on it from the bottle and wash your eyelids with the wet gauze. Use the same gauze for both eyes. Then, wash the eyelids with a lot of water from the tab. Wash your eyelids morning and evening. When the symptoms of blepharitis start to remit and reduce the frequency of compress application (as described above). You may continue to wash your eyelids daily without applying warm compresses first.