Blepharitis eyelids: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Since we mostly perceive the world through sight, then any eye diseases are serious problems for us. One of the most common diseases of this type is blepharitis. And although he does not harm the eyes directly, blepharitis can bring a lot of other troubles. What kind of discomfort this disease brings you will learn from this article.

What it is

Blepharitis is a common eye disease (more specifically a common name for a whole group of diseases), that is caused immediately by a number of different factors - allergies, infections, abnormal operation of the sebaceous glands and much other.The disease is often chronic, it is characterized by relapses, because its treatment is often difficult.

Blepharitis is not an infectious disease. Also, it does not lead to irreversible visual impairment.

Causes

Since blepharitis is a whole family of diseases, its causes can be different. Here are a number of the most common factors causing this problem:

Treatment of blepharitis

• Demodex.This is the name of a small tick that lives on a person's skin. It is activated under various stresses and unfavorable conditions, becoming a problem of a special kind of blepharitis, called demodectic. It appears as scabs, itching and redness, it forms crusts. Often this disease can be observed in animals.
• Staphylococcus aureus.This bacterium lives on the skin of any person, without causing any special problems, until there is a decrease in immunity. Then blepharitis of the staphylococcal type is manifested.
• Excessive activity of the sebaceous glands of the eyelids.This problem becomes possible if a hormonal failure occurs. Appears scaly or seborrheic blepharitis.
• Problems with meibomian glands.These glands, which are in the thickness of the eyelids, are quite small in size, but important in their function. They develop a special oily secret that lubricates the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye, which helps protect them. If there are problems with these glands, then the secret becomes too viscous, the glands become inflamed and there is a so-called meibomia blepharitis.

• Medications.When some drugs are used locally for the treatment of the eye, this can also be the cause of the pathology.
• Hypersensitivity.Hypersensitivity can develop into different things, for example, contact lenses, animal hair, cosmetics designed for the eyes and much more. It all depends on the individual properties of a particular person.
• Lice.Like mites, they too can, if they are present in humans, cause blepharitis.
• Individual characteristics of man. If a person has dandruff, if he develops dry eyes or even just has an increased fat content of the skin - this can provoke the development of blepharitis.

These are not the only reasons that can cause this problem, so if you are sure, that they are absent from you - this is no reason to exclude the presence of a problem, if there are the below symptoms.

Symptoms

Symptoms of blepharitis may differ, because it can flow to varying degrees.If it flows easily enough, the person will notice the weak puffiness of the eyelid margins, a slight hyperemia and eyelid covering at the roots of the eyelashes with small scales that simply separate.Eyelashes sometimes drop out. Eyelids may not even itch, but their heaviness is felt, their eyes drown quickly and strongly water, there is an increased sensitivity to dust, wind, bright light and other characteristic irritants.

If the form of blepharitis is more severe, then the symptoms are more prominent.Characteristic purulent crusts begin to appear. These crusts gradually begin to separate, opening ulcers, which bleed the surface.As a result, ulcers can begin to scar, which will lead to one of the types of deformation of the eyelid or to incorrect growth of eyelashes. After the fall of the old, the new ones will not grow fast enough to compensate for this.

These symptoms are not limited. These may include burning, itching, a foreign body sensation in the eye, pain, blurred vision, redness of the eyes and eyelids, and the appearance of a specific foamy secretion. All this should make you worry about diagnosing the problem.

Diagnostics

If you visit a doctor, then for him there is no particular problem in making a diagnosis.He will study the medical history, then conduct a series of diagnostic procedures - will conduct an external examination and examination using a microscope.

Identify the specific cause of the disease and prescribe the correct treatment will be more difficult, because additional research methods will be required.For example, visual acuity analysis can help. You may need scraping scales from the affected areas to study them more closely.It is possible that to identify the foci of infection, the patient will even be redirected to other specialists, for example, to the dentist, endocrinologist and others. They will help to identify adjacent causes, which could become a provoking factor for blepharitis.

If there is a suspicion of a specific subspecies of the disease, then the doctor's task becomes narrower. For example, if ticks are identified, then it is necessary to analyze their number and so on. Also, general clinical tests can be taken to clarify the disease pattern, for example, often in this case a blood test for sugar and other samples of a general type is taken.

Treatment

Treatment is individual in each case, because the disease can be caused only by different factors, but usually the following three steps are usually applied first:

1. Warm compresses are applied.It is very important to warm the glands of the eyelid and to contribute to the cleansing of the ducts and getting rid of unnecessary secretions. Wet in warm water can, for example, cotton balls. Usually the procedure is carried out three or four times a day, apply a compress for about ten minutes.
2. Purification of the eyelids.It is necessary to remove crusts, dandruff and other elements that accumulate on the eyelids. It is recommended to use baby shampoo diluted in water, as it will be the most mild. Then, using the same cotton ball, the excess detachable elements are gently scraped away towards the inner corner of the eye. Try to remove it carefully so that the accumulated elements do not get on the mucous eyes.
3. Application of antibacterial ointment.It is applied to the edges of the eyelids and can be bacitracin, tetracycline or erythromycin. Also, depending on the specific cause of the problem, ointments that include antibiotics can be used.

To really get rid of blepharitis, you need to start constantly maintaining the hygiene of the eyelids. This is very important, it will minimize the risk of infection and the re-emergence of symptoms of the disease.

In extreme cases, the doctor may prescribe medication, for example, taking tetracycline tablets.Another option is the use of electrophoresis and other physiotherapeutic processes.

Complications

If you do not go to the doctor on time, keratitis may develop, as well as the growth of eyelashes, or abscesses may occur.

Prevention

It is necessary to resort to simple preventive measures.First, if your work is related to overwork of the eyes, try to give them more rest, this will reduce the claim of the problem.Secondly, try to carefully choose cosmetics for the eyes and do not get carried away too much.Thirdly, if you have a tendency to allergies, try to use protective goggles and avoid accumulation of dust.

Try also to eat and take multivitamin preparations for prevention.

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conclusions

Blepharitis is not as dangerous a disease as many others, but there is nothing good in it, it can also lead to noticeable problems. So try to protect yourself from overwork of eyes and from provoking allergic reactions, and if the problem has arisen - immediately consult a doctor. If the treatment is of poor quality, blepharitis can pass into bacterial conjunctivitis or into the halyazion of the upper eyelid.