Ask Your Pharmacist: Blepharitis (Inflamed eyelids)

Blepharitis (Inflamed eyelids)
Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St, Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie
Blepharitis is an eye condition caused by inflammation of the eyelids. Symptoms are irritating and annoying but there are rarely serious side effects such as loss of vision. “The Eye Spoon” is a new Irish invention and is a drug-free treatment option for many of the most common eye problems including blepharitis. Because we now stock it in Whelehans, blepharitis has come up in conversion with many customers in recent weeks so I decided to feature it in the Westmeath Examiner.

Causes
Blepharitis is caused by inflammation of the eyelids; the edges (margins) of the eyelids are most commonly affected. Usually both eyes are affected and in most cases it is a long term problem. There are three main types or causes of blepharitis. These are:

Staphylococcal blepharitis
Everyone has a certain amount of a common type of bacteria called staphylococcus on their skin. For some people, often for reasons unknown, they build up in the eyelids and cause a local infection in the eyelids leading to symptoms of blepharitis.
Seborrhoeic blepharitis
Seborrhoeic blepharitis is linked to a common skin condition called seborrhoeic dermatitis. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is characterised by red, scaly patches that develop on the scalp and face. Dandruff is a mild form of seborrhoeic dermatitis. In some people, seborrhoeic dermatitis causes an inflammatory type of reaction in the eyelids and around the eyes leading to blepharitis.

Meibomian blepharitis
Also called meibomian gland dysfunction. The meibomian glands are tiny glands located in the eyelids just behind the eyelashes; their role is to produce an oily fluid which forms an outer layer of the tear film to lubricate the front of the eyes. Meibomian blepharitis occurs when there a blockage or lack of function of meibomian glands meaning the eyes have insufficient lubrication.

Symptoms
Sore eyelids are the most common symptom; both eyelids are usually affected. Eyelids can look red, inflamed, crusty and flaky. The eyes can become sticky with discharge, especially if an infection develops; the eyelids can stick together in the morning. Crusts sometimes develop at the base of eyelashes. Other common eye conditions associated with or caused by blepharitis are dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca), seborrhoeic dermatitis and rosacea.

Complications
Complications do not develop in most cases of blepharitis. While complications are rare, ones that can occur include chalazion which is a meibomian cyst caused by a blocked meibomian gland. This is a painless swelling that is most prominent inside the eyelid. Another rare complication is a stye. A stye is an infection on the eyelid which can cause swelling which usually develops on the outside of the eyelid. Changes to the eyelashes are possible but mainly only occur in severe and long-running cases. Eyelash changes can include loss of eyelashes (madarosis), misdirection of eyelashes towards the eye (trichiasis) and depigmentation of the eyelashes (poliosis).
To be continued…next week I will discuss treatment of blepharitis.

This article is shortened to fit within Newspaper space limits. More detailed info sheets is available in Whelehans