Most of us would agree that one important aspect of health is good hygiene. Well…Believe it or not, that translates to the eyes also. One of the most common and difficult conditions we manage on a day to day basis is dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome has many causes, but one of the most common is blepharitis.
Blepharitis is characterized by a crusty, flakey eyelid margin. In addition, the small oil glands along the eyelid margins become clogged. These oil glands play a vital role at keeping our tears nice and healthy. If these glands are no longer producing normally, the tears become unstable. The resultant condition is dry eye. In addition to the clogged oil glands, blepharitis often causes an overgrowth of bacteria along the eyelid margins. These bacteria often irritate the eyes and can cause a variety of problems.
A very effective way of combating blepharitis is with eyelid scrubs. We are big fans of the commercially available lid scrub solutions on the market today. Often, you can get the formulations in single use pads or in a foam. Both are very effective at keeping blepharitis under control.
Blepharitis is a chronic condition, so frequent lid hygiene is essential. I wish I could tell you that you can just treat this condition for a week, and it will be eradicated. Unfortunately, though, that is not the case. The only way to keep blepharitis under control is to perform lid scrubs often. I often tell my patients to make it part of their shower routine. In many cases, the eyes will feel remarkably better, and it’s quite possible that they will become less reliant on artificial tears.
