MGD and Blepharitis Treatment Options
I’m sure you would agree that constantly feeling like you have sand in your eyes, making them feel dry and scratchy would be debilitating. Did you know that dry eye syndrome and blepharitis sufferers feel this every day.
Depending on the cause of the dry eye, traditional treatments such as over the counter eye drops might not be dealing with the root problem. There is a mistaken assumption that the problem is a lack of tears. This is not the case in 85% of dry eye sufferers.
Enter Lipiflow. In this post you will discover the numerous chronic blepharitis treatments available. We will also understand how lipiflow is a new treatment for blepharitis that deals with the root cause of dye eyes, not just the symptoms. In order to understand this we need to first understand what blepharitis is.
What is Blepharitis?
Blepharitis refers to the inflammation of the eyelid. The lids become red and irritated with dandruff like scales forming on the eyelashes. Blepharitis is divided into 2 categories based on where on the lid the inflammation occurs.
- Front or anterior part of the lid
- Back or posterior part of the lid.
Front or Anterior Part of the Lid
Blepharitis is often caused by infection of the lid margin and leads to deposits on the eyelashes and a swollen eyelid. Bacteria secrete irritating substances which get into the eye, resulting in discomfort. There is also a skin condition called Seborrheic Blepharitis which is a form of eczema.
The main course of treatment for this condition is lid hygiene. The lid should be cleaned with commercially available lid wipes, such as Occusoft Plus. Occasionally, there is a need for use of topical antibiotics to treat associated infection.
Back or Posterior Part of the Lid
This form of Blepharitis is caused by a condition called MGD. MGD is by far the main cause of blepharitis.
MGD – The Main Cause of Blepharitis
Our eyelids contain tiny glands called Meibomian glands. These glands produce oils that form the top layer of the tear film. These oils prevent the water in your tears from drying out making them essential for eye comfort.
When the meibomian glands become blocked progressively less oil reaches the eye surface, leading to dry and exposed eyes often causing dry eye symptoms. This condition is called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). MGD may cause dry eye syndrome (or dry eye disease) and may lead to an inflammation of the eyelids called blepharitis.
MGD and Blepharitis – Chronic Conditions
It is important to first of all realise that Blepharitis & MGD (Meibomian Gland Dysfunction) are both chronic and progressive conditions. This means that they are not readily cured. They can however be contained with the help of a variety of therapies, resulting in a reduction of the severity their symptoms. If no action is taken however, these conditions are likely to get progressively worse, therefore the earlier the problem is dealt with, the greater the likelihood of success.
Since anterior and posterior blepharitis and MGD may be caused by many factors, before deciding on a particular treatment it is advisable to have an assessment by a specialist to ascertain the exact cause of your symptoms, in order to choose the therapy which is most likely to benefit you. If you are based in the UK you may want to visit our London or Manchester dry eye clinics.