Blepharitis is an inflammatory condition that affects lids of the eye. There are several types of blepharitis. Blepharitis can be caused by infections, allergies, irritations, insect bites, clogged oil glands in the eyelid, etc.
Symptoms vary, but can include swelling, itching, redness, blurry vision, irritation, scaling and crusty lashes. Blepharitis can occur alongside chalazions and styes. Only an eye doctor can accurately diagnose blepharitis, because its symptoms are similar to many other eye conditions.
The unfortunate fact about Blepharitis is that it is becoming increasingly common. In addition to following the doctor’s instructions, simply keeping the eye lids clean seems to be the best at-home remedy. Consider these tips:
- Eyelid massage protocol for eyelid inflammation.
- Wash your lids using baby shampoo on a cotton swab or a commercial eyelid scrub.
- Place a small amount of caster oil on a cotton swab and put it on the inner lower lid margin. Use only caster oil from the health food store that is freshly opened.
- Dilute honey with spring water and apply the same way as the castor oil.
- Twice per day, dip your finger in this solution and rub on the eye lid margins with eyes closed: 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt in 1/2 cup warm water. Do this once after you wake up in the morning, and again before you go to bed.
- No rubbing the eyes!
- 3 or 4 times per day, put a wet, warm washcloth compress on the eyes. Hold the compress in place until it cools off.
- To help ease conjunctivitis and sties, try EyeEase Formula.
If you experience inflammation of eyelids or any symptoms or problems with your eye health, check in with your eye doctor for a complete examination. If you wear contact lenses or eye makeup, discontinue use until you see your eye doctor.
As a side note, the crustiness along the side of the eyelids, especially toward the nose, may be cholesterol deposits. Danish researchers have found that cholesterol deposits on the eyelids, known as xanthelasmata, may indicate that a patient is more likely to get heart disease. Having xanthelasmata made people more that 50% more likely to suffer a heart attack. Source: https://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=10427&Section=Disease
Further reading: Baltimore Sun