Allergic blepharitis
La allergic blepharitis It is a disease that can affect anyone, although it is slightly more common in men than in women.
Allergic blepharitis
La allergic blepharitis It is a disease that can affect anyone, although it is slightly more common in men than in women.
What is allergic blepharitis?
La allergic blepharitis is a eyelid edge inflammation caused by an overgrowth of bacteria normally found on the skin. It makes the eyes look red and scaly, and produces symptoms such as mild pain, itching, tearing, a feeling of a foreign body in the eye, and the formation of something similar to dandruff around the eyes.
Allergic blepharitis should not be confused with swollen lower eyelid or inflammation of the eyelids due to allergies, which may have other causes.
How to diagnose allergic blepharitis?
Diagnosis of allergic blepharitis make an ophthalmologist which, thanks to the use of the slit lamp, will evaluate the visual health of the patient. This specialist will assess the state of scaling of the edge of the eyelid, the free edge of the eyelid and the Meibomian glands.
It will also analyze the eye pressure, and with the results obtained from both tests, you can make a correct assessment to indicate the appropriate treatment for the patient.
How is allergic blepharitis spread?
Allergic blepharitis is not contagious. However, it is possible that several members of a family suffer from it, or suffer from conditions associated with blepharitis, such as rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis. For this reason it is thought that allergic blepharitis may have genetic causes.
How to prevent allergic blepharitis?
To prevent allergic blepharitis, it is important to apply a home treatment consisting of clean the eyelids daily, in order to prevent the proliferation of bacteria, Demodex mites, or the growth of a biofilm on the edge of the eyelids.
There are different products that are sold over the counter to rub the eyelids. They can also be used basic hygiene techniques such as how to gently cleanse the eyes with a clean cotton swab, gauze pad, or cloth soaked in a cleansing solution.
Transmission for allergic blepharitis
Although there is no cure for blepharitis, it can be controlled. This means that it does not disappear completely, but yes it is possible to reduce your symptoms, although in some cases they can become more persistent.
The different allergic blepharitis treatments are the following:
Medication
The ophthalmologist can prescribe oral drugs or medications in the form of eye drops or ointment for allergic blepharitis, to control short-term anti-inflammatory outbreaks. The most common is that antibiotic ointments, sulfonamides or corticosteroids are applied in a small amount.
Sometimes it is also convenient to manage oral tetracyclines for a prolonged period of time, to reduce the seborrheic process that facilitates the appearance of blepharitis.
Pulsed light treatment (IPL)
La high intensity pulsed light (IPL) It is a painless and non-surgical treatment that we carry out in consultation, it is practiced with the aim of achieving an immediate improvement in several sessions. symptoms of blepharitis.
It is a technology that consists of constant low intensity microimpulses, which allows the skin to cool naturally, preventing side effects from occurring.
IPL treatment for blepharitis reduces local inflammation and puffiness of the eyelids. It also achieves an improvement in the stability of the tear film and the conjunctival flora, in addition to proper circulation in the treated area.
Thanks to all this, the patient achieves a better quality of life, notably reducing even eliminating other treatments for the symptoms of blepharitis.
The normal thing is that the treatment is developed in three or four sessions, for a period of approximately 2 months, and has a duration per session between five to ten minutes.
Eyelid cleansing
The basic treatment of allergic blepharitis consists of cleaning the edges of the eyelids, in order to remove scales and secretion. To do this, you can use a champú neutral, and help yourself with an element such as a cotton swab or a clean moistened gauze.
