Blepharitis on a Blog

Image found on SheKnows.com's helpful article about blepharitis. 

I did not know that the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation had a blog! It's entitled Conquering Sjogrens, and the most recent post was a very helpful bit about recognizing and treating blepharitis.

What's blepharitis? It's an inflammation of the eyelash follicles resulting in crusty drainage, redness, and swelling of the eyelid, and is a common problem for sjoggies due to our altered tear composition and volume. Ever wake up with your eyelashes firmly glued top to bottom with eyelids swollen, red, itchy, and painful? That would be blepharitis. You can read more about it here.

I would post a picture, but guys......the pics that I found are just too.....ewwww. I'm writing this over breakfast and the pictures are stomach-turning. Sorry. So imagine. Or go google images of blepharitis for yourself.

Here's what the SSF blog and Michael A. Lemp, MD has to say about blepharitis treatment:

"The most common form of treatment is the use of moist heat to the lids, cleansing of the lid margins and the use of oral antibiotics such as tetracycline. This regimen can result in significant improvement of the symptoms of irritation and pain. In more severe cases the use of locally applied steroids can be helpful. Current research is studying the use of locally applied hormone preparations and newer antibiotics to reduce inflammation and normalize the oil secretion."

Do you have issues with chronic blepharitis? What helps you ease the symptoms?