Categories: Drugs & Medications

EYE ECZEMA

Eye redness, itching, scaling, burning, and the very painful feeling of having foreign objects in the eye can make you miserable. If it is unsightly, it may stop you from leaving the house. You are not alone. When I searched online for “eye eczema” the browser returned 1,990,000 hits and according to Alcon Laboratories 12% of Americans suffer from dry eye. There are a lot of folks out there with eye problems on their minds. I finally found some solutions after years of digging into the research.

I have been plagued with eye eczema for over 7 years. I visited doctors offices like I was making a pilgrimage. I tried every specialist trying to find relief. None of them agreed and I heard diagnoses that ranged from eye eczema, dry eye, meibomitis, and dermatitis to the catchall diagnosis of blepharitis. The paradox about dry eye is that your eyes continually water! I haven’t had this kind of nagging problem since teenage acne.

My multiple trips to the allergist, ophthalmologist, optometrist, dermatologist and my regular doctor netted no positive long-lasting results. The steroids helped for a week and then the symptoms returned. The last straw was that I used the steroid creams so often they finally were eating a hole through my eyelid. I could barely touch my face without excruvcating pain.

At one point, the dermatologist deliberately crashed my immune symptom with the oral medication Prednisone to try and calm down my immune system. Note: When he did this, this opened the door for the occurrence of other problems.

If my problem involved the eyeball, I went to the ophthalmologist, if it was the skin, I went to the dermatologist. The general M.D. had no particular advice except for eye drops. I was left helpless and in pain with no resources for help other than the web. I got mad and took control and was committed to not leave my fate to HMO doctors. I wrote down everything the doctors had told me and referred to the web research to come up with an action plan.

After a year of research and the trial-and-error tweaking of my action plan, I am sharing what I have found works for me. I hope this information may help you or someone you know.

WHAT NOT TO DO? The enduring slogan: “I’d right fight than switch.” won’t help you. It’s time to be flexible.

First off, for those who wear after shave, cologne, perfume or makeup on or near the face, you should stop immediately. There are so many chemicals in those products it blends into an unidentifiable soup on your skin. Switch to plain water to wash your face or a simple non-soap facial cleanser. I also switched to a non-soap shampoo and body wash. If you shave, use witch hazel to close the pores and refresh your skin.

I highly recommend switching to perfume-free products for anything that comes near your skin including laundry soap and dryer sheets. Also, be careful with hair products near your eyes. The skin around the eyes is extremely sensitive to soaps, conditioners, silicone hair sprays, and other hair products.

WHAT TO DO? These are simple routines that can make a big difference.

HYGIENE

Hair. When you wash and rinse your hair, let the soap and water run towards the back of the scalp rather than over your face.

DON’T RUB YOUR EYES! Your hands, even if you just washed them, can transfer bacteria and viruses to the delicate sometimes openly exposed skin tissues around your eyes. Rubbing the eyelids only leads to further problems and can actually damage the corneas. Rubbing your eyes like sandpaper may feel good but in the long run they end up looking like sandpaper. Your eyes should always be treated with the greatest of care like a fine silk scarf.

Warm Compresses. Rinse a clean washcloth with warm water and wring out thoroughly. Place the folded washcloth over the eyes for about 3 minutes, twice a day, setting a timer helps. The warmth helps to loosen the oil glands that lubricate the eyeballs. This is essential if you have dry eye, meibomitis or blepharitis.

Cleansing. My favorite product: TheraTears SteriLid Eyelid Cleanser. I wash my eyes twice a day with this very mild eye soap. Make sure your hands are clean before using it. Place it gently on the eyelids, massage very lightly to remove debris, and leave it on for a full minute. It takes away any pollens and debris that builds up. My eyes always feel freshened after using SteriLid. The product literature will inform you of the reasons why.

Face Cream. Switch to a face cream like Aveeno-it’s less expensive and just as effective. I love the extra moisturizing non-scented skin relief formula. They also make a formula with added SPF. Use the cream every time after you wash your face.

Eye Drops. I use an over-the-counter allergy eye drop called Alaway only when I am having problems with itching and redness. Most of the prescription kind gave me headaches or eye pain. This one works for me but use the one that works for you. The drops that remove redness don’t do anything for dryness unless they are lubricating. I did not get relief from those types of eye drops.

Eye Ointments. When my lids itch, I use a salve called Stye. Many doctors recommended RefreshPM but I found that on the eyelid the gel melted so fast it ran off my skin. Stye is made for the skin. You can use is even if you don’t have a stye. It stays nicely on the skin and helps with the itching. I use it in the corners of my eyes as soon as soon as I feel any irritation. Give it a good hour to two and the itching inevitably goes away. I never use it for more than a few days a time.

NUTRITION

There are specific brands that bundle eye nutritional supplements. For convenience, you can use one of them but you can also take them ala carte. The basics are: fish oil, Vitamin E, and ligan-free flaxseed oil. Take the supplements religiously they support the daily routine of cleansing and moisturizing. Please read the citations and references for more information from the experts on nutritional supplements. If it makes your head spin, ask your doctor for help.

Drink lots of water to keep hydrated and flush impurities out of your system.

MAKING IT EASY

If you would like an easy kit to get started, ask your doctor to prescribe the NutriDox Convenience Kit (http://www.nutridox.net/). This includes a prescription medication called Doxycycline which I was on for over a year. The Doxycycline is used to suppress lid inflammation and decreases bacterial overgrowth.

The RX big gun for tear production is Restasis (generic name cyclosporine). My doctor explained to me that cyclosporin is one drug also used in eye chemotherapy. This made me think seriously about this marvelous and complex drug. I keep Restasis in reserve in case nothing else works (also my insurance charged a copay of $45). Thankfully, the above regime works for me.

If you try what I did, the worse you will end up with is a clean face.

Before you do anything consult with your physician. I had multiple conversations with my ophthalmologist before I finally hit upon the right combination. If your doctor doesn’t agree with you, ask why.

This is no sales pitch. I am not a doctor, a nurse or health practitioner. I don’t work for a drug company or pharmacy. I am receiving no consideration from any company for this article. I used to be a professional health care writer and that is how I was able to absorb and analyze this medical data.

I hope that this information helps you. Any positive feedback or comments are greatly appreciated.

Citations:

http://www.theratears.com/nutrition.aspx

http://www.athealth.com/consumer/disorders/eczema.html

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/dryeye.htm

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/blepharitis.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_Tareyton_smokers_would_rather_fight_than_switch!

http://www.mens-total-fitness.com/omega-6.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS129161+16-Feb-2009+PRN20090216

http://www.aveeno.com/

http://www.restasis.com/default.htm?x=Restasis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclosporin