Blepharitis

Blepharitis refers to chronic inflammation of the eyelids, one of the most common disorders of the area and is often the main reason for eye discomfort, redness and tearing.

Other eye symptoms of blepharitis are: burning, itching, light sensitivity, and an irritating, sandy sensation that is worse upon awakening. There are 3 forms of blepharitis (staphylococcal, seborrheic and Meibomian gland dysfunction). All three forms of blepharitis are chronic.
Patients with staphylococcal blepharitis are relatively young (mean age 42 years) with a short history of ocular symptoms.


Patients with seborrheic blepharitis and Meibomian gland dysfunction blepharitis are generally older and have a longer history of ocular symptoms.

In staphylococcal blepharitis there is crusting along the eye lashes. In seborrheic blepharitis there is greasy scaling along the eyelashes.

Patients frequently have seborrheic dermatitis as well. In Meibomian gland dysfunction there are prominent blood vessels crossing the eyelid margin. In addition there is pouting or plugging of meibomian gland openings, and turbidity of the oily meibomian secretions. Patients with Meibomian gland dysfunction frequently are noted to have coexisting rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis.

Blepharitis Treatment
Blepharitis is a chronic disease for which there is no cure, and requires long-term treatment to keep it under control. Treatment consists of 2 phases (Acute and Maintenance phase). Acute phase treatment involves intensive therapy to rapidly bring the disease under control. In the maintenance phase the goal is to indefinitely continue the minimum amount of therapy that is necessary to keep the disease quiet.

Warm Compresses
Warm Compresses followed by Lid Scrubs is the most critical element of effective blepharitis control. This therapy removes the eyelid debris (which can be colonized by bacteria), reduces the bacterial load (mechanically as well as by lysis of bacteria due to detergent action of the soap in lid scrubbing) and stabilizes the tear film by releasing oily secretions from the meibomian glands, thus reducing tear evaporation (so the dry eye symptoms are also reduced).
Technique: Soaking a washcloth in water as warm as the eyelids can stand, and then placing the cloth on the lid surface (eyelids closed) for a five to ten minute period. In the acute phase this is performed 2 to 4 times day.
Warm compresses may be combined with eyelid massage. This is especially important in patients who have Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). In MGD the meibomian secretions are turbid and the gland openings are clogged. Think of a toothpaste tube which has butter (instead of toothpaste). When cold, you will not be able to express the butter out of the tube. However, once you heat it, then the butter will soften enough to come out of the tube, but pressure on the tube (squeezing) would still be necessary. Going by this analogy, after warm compresses, the turbid meibomian gland secretions are more fluid, but massage is necessary to express them. Therefore after every 1 minute of warm compresses, massaging the eyelid as follows will be useful:

Gently close the eyelids. Put your index finger on the outer corner of the eyelid. Pull the eyelid towards the ear, so that the eyelids are stretched taut. Next use the index finger of the opposite hand to apply direct pressure to the taut eyelids starting at the inner aspect of the eyelid near the base of the nose. Sweep with firm but gentle pressure towards the ear. Repeat this maneuver four to five times. Remember that the goal is to apply gentle pressure to the eyelids - so just rubbing the eyelid surface will do you no good (Ophthalmol Clin N Am 2003;16:37-42).

Lid Scrubs
There are several ways of performing lid scrubbing. The scrubbing should be directed at the base of the eyelashes on the eyelid margin. Soaps (cleansing agent used) should not have excessive perfume or lotion content.
Baby Shampoo: The baby shampoo is first diluted one-to-one with water in a 'cup' in the palm of the hand. This is then mixed by rubbing with the clean fingertips and then applied in a gentle oval scrubbing motion to the margin and eyelash bases of the closed eyelid for 1 minute, followed by a fresh water facial rinse.
There are commercially available cleansing pads that are presoaked in a cleansing solution. These cleansing pads are equally effective albeit more expensive method of lid scrubbing and are claimed to be less irritating to the eyelids.

Antibiotic treatment
The use of an ointment on the eyelid margin immediately after lid scrubbing may help to increase patient comfort. The choice here is usually Erythromycin eye ointment or Tobradex eye ointment (steroid-antibiotic combination). In addition, the antibiotics help to further reduce the bacterial load on the eyelids.
Oral tetracyclines (doxycycline or minocycline) for about 3 months can be used in recalcitrant Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) cases. Tetracycline antibiotics affect the meibomian gland secretions, inhibit bacterial lipases as well as reduce the eyelid bacterial load.

Anti-Inflammatory treatment
Omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil supplements) may reduce the blepharitis inflammation.

Antioxidant treatment
Eating more grapes may help blepharitis patients. The formation of oxidants like nitric oxide in the involved eyelid margin have been speculated to play a role in blepharitis (Cornea 2000;19:654-58). The substance, known as resveratrol is an anti-oxidant that is very effective against these nitrite type of oxidants. Grapes are particularly good sources of resveratrol. Resveratrol is found in the skin (not flesh) of grapes. Fresh grape skin contains about 50 to 100 micrograms of resveratrol per gram and red wine (also rich in resveratrol) contains about 1.5 to 3 milligrams per liter.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is an amino acid that enhances the production of glutathione, one of the body's most powerful antioxidant enzymes. In one reported study the effect of 100 mg of N-acetylcysteine orally, three times each day for 8 weeks. This treatment resulted in stabilization of tear film and reduced discomfort of blepharitis (Cornea 2002;21:164-8). Oral N-acetylcysteine treatment for blepharitis needs further evaluation. N-acetylcysteine is a 'supplement', therefore is available over the counter or in health food stores without prescription. We came across several NAC brands (Twinlabs, Solgar, Now Foods, Puritan's Pride). It is essential that you consult your doctor prior to initiating any treatment.

More: http://www.agingeye.net/otheragingeye/blepharitis.php#

 
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