Do you have sand in your eye sensation or a scratched, crusty eye pain when you blink? Does your eye feel like there’s something in it, yet you can’t rub it out? You may have blepharitis.
Blepharitis is eyelash follicle inflammation causing swollen eyelid edges. It’s frequently caused by an overgrowth of Staphylococcus bacteria. Normal for this bacteria to be hanging around on your skin.
Other causes and risk factors, either associated with your swollen eyelid bacterial infection or by itself, include:
- rosacea
- allergies
- lice eyelash infestation
- malfunctioning oil glands ~ excessive oil
- seborrheic dermatitis ~ face/scalp dandruff
Blepharitis scratching eyelid inflammation causes some painful or unattractive symptoms on and around your eyes, like:
- itching
- redness
- burning
- swelling
- dry eyes
- grittiness
- scaliness
- sandiness
- crustiness
- frothy tears
- eye irritation
- eyelash loss
- blurred vision
- eyelash scales
- tiny eyelid ulcers
- excessive tearing
- mucus like discharge
- eyelid margin greasiness
- persistent eyelid soreness
- dandruff flakes around eyelid
- something is in your eye feeling
- sensitivity to light ~ photophobia
- scratchy sensation ~ sand or dust in eye
Blepharitis discharge may cause your lashes to stick together while you sleep. Or you’ll likely notice eyelash crusting upon awakening. Try using a warmed washcloth to pry them open.
The prime blepharitis treatment is daily cleaning of your eyelid edges. This removes skin oils that bacteria feeds on.
Additional blepharitis swollen eyelid inflammation treatment encompasses:
- warm compress to loosen crust
- specially formulated eyelid cleansers
- antibiotic or steroid drops or ointment ~ by prescription
- delicately swab eyelids with watered down baby shampoo
- treat acne rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis appropriately
If your scratched, crusty eye pain blepharitis is chronic, then your eyelid cleaning routine may require lifelong treatment. Reward is eyes that are less red and more comfortable.
When seborrheic dermatitis or rosacea are causing some of your problems, treatment for those conditions are available via your health care professional.
A couple of complications from swollen eyelid blepharitis are:
- stye
- chalazion
- conjunctivitis
- corneal ulcer
- eyelid scarring
- corneal infections
- tear duct issue causing dry eyes
Blepharitis is the most common form of all eye conditions. And it surely can be a health nuisance.