Ulcerative blepharitis: what is the danger of untimely and improper treatment

Blepharitis - a group of eye diseases accompanied by inflammation of the edges of the eyelids and difficult to treat.

With blepharitis, the inflammatory process covers the ciliary edges of the eyelids, the disease is often chronic.

1

Blepharitis

2 Structure of the eye

3 Diagnosis and treatment of blepharitis

Long-term and sluggish chronic blepharitis reduces a person’s performance and can lead to loss of vision.

What is blepharitis

Blepharitis is a series of ophthalmic diseases that involve inflammation of the eyelids. They cause discomfort, disrupt vision, affect the nervous system and cause migraines. If there are prerequisites for infection, such as difficulty opening the eyes in the morning, eyelashes stuck together from blepharitis pus, itching and burning, then urgent measures must be taken. Eyelid disease can become chronic.

Based on the location of the lesion, the following types of blepharitis are distinguished:

• anterior edge (inflammation is localized only along the ciliary edge);
• posterior marginal (affects the membranes of the eye);
• angular - accordingly, it affects the corner of the eye.

Eyelid disease occurs in several ways:

• simple form;
• scaly form;
• ulcerative or bacterial blepharitis;
• allergic form;
• mixed type.

Possible complications

If you do not start treating blepharitis in time or do not follow the recommendations of a specialist, the following problems may arise:

• Keratitis, conjunctivitis or other diseases associated with inflammation of the visual organs;
• Seals and thickening of the eyelid, the appearance of wrinkles on it;
• Decreased visual ability;
• Deterioration of psycho-emotional background;
• Madarosis (loss) and trichiasis (improper growth) of eyelashes in the area of ​​scarring.

Causes

Blepharitis occurs as a result of a wide variety of reasons, but it is important to note that the basis of the infection of the eye organs is a sharp decrease in immunity.

Probable reasons:

• protracted stye disease of the eyelid;
• allergies, vitamin deficiency;
• low-quality cosmetic products;
• prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays;
• visual impairment: myopia or farsightedness;
• digestive system disorder;
• chronic inflammation of any organs.

You are less likely to develop eyelid disease due to:

• hypothermia;
• nervous tension;
• frequent contact with small particles and dust in the eyes;
• infections;
• low immunity;
• diabetes mellitus;
• damage to the body by parasitic worms;
• metabolic disorders.

Diagnostics

An ophthalmologist will provide all necessary assistance to the patient. Blepharitis can be detected using clinical and laboratory tests based on scraping of the conjunctiva. If there are obvious manifestations of blepharitis, examining the eye with an ophthalmological instrument will be sufficient.

The main areas of work of an ophthalmologist:

• thorough ophthalmological examination;
• identification of the causative agent of the disease;
• with the help of medications, reducing the main symptoms of blepharitis;
• prescribing a general course of treatment and therapy based on test results;
• immunotherapy;
• prescription of preventive measures.

The disease may return periodically, this indicates weak immunity and other abnormalities in the child’s life. The main thing is, of course, identifying the infection that provoked the disease and properly eliminating it.

In most cases, blepharitis can be treated at home. But this does not mean that you can self-medicate. In order to protect your health as much as possible, and not harm yourself, as well as restore the previous condition of your eyes, you must strictly follow all the doctor’s prescriptions.

Basic principles of treatment:

1. Identify and eliminate the cause of the disease. Avoiding any contact with a possible pathogen.
2. Careful eye care, use of anti-inflammatory drugs. Wash only with baby products; after this procedure, use additional care.
3. As prescribed by the doctor, use eye drops with antibiotics, ointments and creams that will act directly on the causative agent of the disease.
4. Use of physiotherapy.
5. Maintain proper nutrition, use vitamin complexes and microelements.
6. The use of decoctions of medicinal herbs can be a good adjuvant therapy.

At-risk groups

Some groups of people suffer from eyelid disease blepharitis much more often than others. This difference is due to the presence of allergies, the climate of the area or general health.

Risk groups include:

1. Women who regularly use low-quality cosmetics are more likely to develop blepharitis.
2. People with visual impairments who do not wear glasses or contacts.
3. People who have recently undergone surgery with complications.
4. Women and men who are forced to work in polluted environments often suffer from blepharitis.
5. Workers who use computers and other equipment every day.

Chronic or recurring blepharitis is a serious sign of health problems. In such cases, doctors discover a number of other diseases.

Types of blepharitis

There is a huge variety of types of inflammation of the eyelid margins, some of which may occur together with diseases such as styes, conjunctivitis, keratitis or trichiasis.

Marginal blepharitis

Many patients believe that marginal blepharitis is a simple eyelid disease that will disappear on its own over time. But this opinion is wrong, because if the blepharitis infection begins to progress, the likelihood of vision loss at an early age will increase significantly.

Regional inflammation can be posterior, anterior and angular.

Posterior blepharitis

Divided into meibomitis and meibomian seborrhea. Posterior blepharitis manifests itself in the form of malfunctions of the meibomian glands of external secretion.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor relies on symptoms such as:

1. Foamy discharge from the eyes.
2. Itching, burning, heaviness.
3. Dryness of the mucous membranes of the eyes.
4. Thickening and redness of the edge of the eyelids.
5. Dilatation of blood vessels in the skin as a result of blockage of the sebaceous glands.
6. If you press lightly on the corner of the eye with posterior infectious blepharitis, foamy fluid will be released from it.

This is the most complex form of eyelid margin disease, as it is often accompanied by complications in the form of other eye infections. Treatment for this form of blepharitis is difficult.

Anterior blepharitis

Types of anterior inflammation of the organs of vision: staphylococcal, seborrheic and mixed.

The symptoms of anterior blepharitis differ little from other types of marginal blepharitis. A characteristic feature is a feeling of sand in the eyes. Also common are the appearance of flaky crusts around the eyes and hyperemia (with staphylococcal infection) and dry scales at the eyelash edge.

During this mixed inflammation of the eyelids, a sebaceous coating often forms on the upper eyelid, which leads to eyelashes sticking together in the morning.

Angular blepharitis

Angular, or angular, blepharitis is inflammation in the corners of the eyelids. As a result of the angular shape, purulent masses form in the corner, and the eyelid thickens and becomes covered with ulcers. Often the bases of the eyelashes are covered with gray scales, with which the eyelashes are easily separated from the inflamed eyelid.

Ulcers lead to changes in the shape of the eye, disruption of the direction of eyelash growth, which subsequently scratch and irritate the cornea of ​​the eye. This disease sometimes occurs without the appearance of ulcers, cracks, or scales. In this case, the eyelid thickens, the ciliary edge looks oily, and when pressure is applied to the corner of the eye, secretory fluid is released.

Infectious blepharitis

An infectious disease is when it is caused by the activity of bacteria, which, getting under the skin of the eyelids through microscopic wounds and cracks, multiply and harm the tissues around the eyeball.

Pus oozes from the wounds, causing eyelashes to stick together, break and fall off.

During infectious blepharitis, yellow-brown crusts form at the roots of the eyelashes, which tend to fall off along with the eyelashes.

Bleeding ulcers with constant irritation by scratching can merge together and form ulcerative surfaces covering the entire eyelid.

Infectious blepharitis occurs as a result of the activity of bacteria, mites or fungi.

The first causes of blepharitis infection of the eyelids are non-compliance with hygiene standards (insufficient face washing, dirty glasses or lenses), lack of vitamins in the body.

Main symptoms

Depending on many factors and characteristics of the body, blepharitis can occur with varying degrees of symptoms. Mild forms are characterized by the following symptoms:

• slight swelling of the eyelids and inflammation;
• small scales that are easily separated;
• severe eye sensitivity.

Severe forms of blepharitis have slightly different symptoms, more pronounced:

1. the formation of purulent crusts throughout the eyelid;
2. after peeling off the crusts, ulcers and wounds form;
3. loss of eyelashes and further slow growth;
4. deformation of the century itself.

Such severe manifestations are caused by the acute course of the disease. These symptoms require quick and individual therapy.

Chronic form of blepharitis

The result of the fact that people susceptible to ordinary infection of the eyelid margins neglect preventive measures is the occurrence of chronic blepharitis, which develops into a serious pathology that requires complex treatment.

As a result, the symptoms are eliminated, and the disease continues to occur in a latent form. Most often, chronic damage to the organs of vision affects both eyes at once, in particular in the form of posterior or anterior blepharitis.

The chronic form occurs in the following cases:

• vitamin deficiency, tendency to allergies;
• anemia;
• diseases of the digestive system;
• poor eyesight.

Symptoms of chronic blepharitis include all the main signs of the disease. The only difference is that this form appears at some interval.

Treatment of eyelid blepharitis in adults

Treatment for infectious blepharitis of the eyelids must be long-term and constant in order to completely eliminate the problem. It requires an integrated approach and taking into account the peculiarities of the occurrence of blepharitis infection.

Let's consider the general principles of treatment of this disease:

1. Keeping your face clean. From now on, washing your face should begin with treating the eyelids, cleansing them of blepharitis pus, peeling and crusts. When dry scales appear, they must be treated with medicinal ointment to soften them and removed with a cotton swab. After which the eyes need to be dipped in with antiseptics and medicinal drops prescribed by the doctor. In meibomian blepharitis, purulent discharge is removed by massage with a glass rod. This procedure can be performed by both the doctor and the patient himself. After the procedure, the eyes are treated with a disinfectant.
2. Antiseptics. They have the ability to suppress the activity of microorganisms. For washing the eyes, a universal remedy is a solution of furatsilin or boric acid. Antiseptics in the form of eye drops, such as Albucid, Miramistin, Vitabact, are convenient to use.
3. Anti-inflammatory drugs. Drugs in this category are effective in the fight against conjunctivitis and other complications of blepharitis. Steroid hormones also act as an anti-inflammatory agent and significantly improve a person's health during this eyelid disease.
4. Complete nutrition. Treatment of blepharitis, like many other diseases, is based on this point. Balanced and high-quality food will improve immunity and promote recovery.
5. Vitamin therapy.
6. Elimination of associated diseases.

Recommended drugs are presented in the table.

A drug	Release form	Application
Phloxal	Eye drops or eye ointment	Prescribed for bacterial blepharitis. During the acute form of the disease, use drugs together.
Maxitrol	Eye drops	The drops contain antibiotics. It is both an anesthetic and an antiseptic.
Demalan	Eye ointment	Soothing, scale softening agent. Against ticks and bacteria.
Hydrocortisone	Eye ointment	Relieves redness, swelling, improves well-being.
Allergodil	Eye drops	Antihistamine. Used for allergic forms of blepharitis.

Treatment is also based on the following principles:

1. Warm compresses help speed up the removal of fluid from swollen areas. It is recommended to apply a compress to the temporal area and eyelids 2-3 times a day.
2. Cleansing the eyelids - you need to dilute a couple of drops of gentle soap or shampoo for children in water. With this solution, carefully, so as not to damage the irritated eyelid, rinse the eyes from crusts and blepharitis pus.
3. Apply ointments to the corner of the eye. The ophthalmologist will recommend an ointment that can disinfect the eye from bacteria caused by inflammation.
4. If blepharitis occurs due to the flu or a cold, you will need to take antibiotics and drops like Actipol and Foludan.
5. Physiotherapeutic methods also have a positive effect on the healing process. For blepharitis infection of the eyelids, UHF, UV, magnetic therapy, and electrophoresis are used.

Can the drops be used during pregnancy?

The occurrence of blepharitis in pregnant women is not uncommon. The causes of the disease can be associated both with unfavorable external conditions and with the activation of internal pathogenic microorganisms and allergens due to decreased immunity.

Treatment of blepharitis in pregnant women is complicated by restrictions on taking most medications.

The basis for treating inflammation for a pregnant woman is eyelid hygiene, removing purulent deposits with a damp swab. The prescription of special medications in the form of ointments, gels and drops is carried out only by a doctor, after assessing the extent of the disease.

Most eye drops are contraindicated during pregnancy (for example, Floxal, Normax, Levomycetin). Drops such as Tobrex, Maxitrol, Diclofenac are prescribed if the benefit to the woman outweighs the risk of complications in the fetus. If blepharitis is detected during pregnancy, Albucid is often prescribed, which is also allowed during breastfeeding.

When using eye drops for blepharitis during pregnancy, it is recommended to use them according to the following scheme: before instilling the second eye, after instilling the first, you must take a break of 15-20 minutes.

To moisturize the corneal epithelium and protect it from external influences, artificial tear drops, which are a keratoprotector, can be used. Correct use; a pronounced effect is noticeable on days 3–5 of use. Treatment with the drug is also carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

To eliminate the symptoms of blepharitis, your doctor may prescribe artificial tear drops.

Treatment with folk remedies

Traditional methods serve as an excellent addition to basic drug treatment. There are many methods of therapy with breastfeeding and compresses made from natural products. Before using folk remedies, you must make sure that you are not allergic to the components presented.

Boiled corn oil

An ointment that needs to be lubricated on the eyelids 4 times a day. Helps relieve swelling and redness.

Laurel leaf compress

Boil 10 sheets in 200 ml of water. Soak a cotton pad in a decoction of the leaves and apply to the eyelids for 25-30 minutes.

Decoctions of plantain and thyme

Helps cope with tearfulness. Instill before bedtime.

Honey solution

An aqueous solution of honey is perfect for disinfecting drops. It contains many vitamins and beneficial elements.

Infusion of calendula flowers

Apply the infusion to a cotton pad and wipe the inflamed eyelids with it, avoiding contact with the mucous membrane. Helps cope with blepharitis pus and discharge.

Clover juice

Freshly squeezed clover juice is dripped into the eyes 4 times a day.

Cottage cheese or tea compress

Apply fresh cottage cheese, wrapped in gauze, to the eyelid overnight. The same goes for a tea bag, pre-brewed in a small amount of boiling water. These remedies quickly and painlessly eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

How to alleviate the patient's condition

Recommendations to alleviate the patient’s condition with blepharitis:

1. Compresses improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation, soften scales. The fabric is dipped in warm water or herbal decoction.
2. Refusal of makeup and contact lenses. Makeup will irritate the inflamed tissue again and again. Contact lenses should be replaced with glasses. After recovery, it is necessary to change old lenses, as traces of bacteria may remain on them.
3. Getting rid of dandruff. It is little known that dandruff can occur not only on the scalp, but also in the eyebrows and eyelashes. This problem can be eliminated with special shampoos or a folk remedy - honey and apple cider vinegar.
4. Vitamins and microelements. During an eyelid infection, it is necessary to consume vital nutrients through food. Omega-3 is found in oily fish, liver, avocado and olive oil. Vitamins of groups A, B, C can be found in green vegetables, cabbage, pineapple, pumpkin, melon and sweet pepper. Bone broth is a nutritious meal for people suffering from blepharitis.