What is blepharitis?
Blepharitis is the inflammation of the eyelid margin. It may result in dry eyes as it affects the meibomian glands that produce the fatty layer that covers the tear film on your eye. If this fatty layer is unhealthy, then your tears evaporate much faster.
If the meibomian glands are affected or blocked by blepharitis, it may cause a cyst (chalazion) to form. Blepharitis may also cause a stye to develop due to infection of the eyelash follicle.
Dry eye is the most common symptom of blepharitis, but there are others to be aware of.
What are the symptoms of blepharitis?
- Dry and gritty eyes
- Burning eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Redness around the eyelid margin
- Crusted scales on the eyelid margin (particularly after waking up)
- Blurred vision
How is blepharitis treated?
There are various options to treat blepharitis. It is important to visit your ophthalmologist so that the severity of the inflammation can be assessed. They will then recommend a treatment plan to help ease the symptoms. While recurrence is common, quick, early treatment can help decrease the duration and severity of the symptoms.
Some of the treatments recommended for blepharitis include:
- Applying warm compresses to the eyelid, followed by gentle scrubbing and massage of the eyelid margin using a specific eyelid shampoo, or baby shampoo
- Topical lubricants to treat the dry eye symptoms
- Steroid antibiotic ointment may be prescribed in severe cases
- Oral antibiotics (Doxycycline) can also be used
